Left Alive
by WretchedEscapist
Summary: Jake is the last of a party of six that had tried to escape the rapid spread of the infection. He is attacked by a Hunter, but is not killed, only bitten. Slowly, he comes to realize why he was left alive; it turns out Hunters get lonely too. Not Slash.
1. Chapter 1

(The first part of this chapter has been changed a bit.)

A/N: First fic for this section, woohoo. After playing this game a few times with a friend, I developed a very strange ... affinity toward the Hunter. Naturally, that gave me a horrible itching to do a fanfic, and a long fic this one will be. I hope you guys like it.

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**CHAPTER I**

His ears still rang from the deafening sound of the gunshot, so unbelievably loud in this small room. Jake did not look at the now lifeless body of his friend, who sat propped up in the corner of the room with a bullet hole in his forehead. He was covered in blood, blood of the infected outside that he and his friend had just escaped from, and maybe a little from his comrade he'd just killed as well.

_"Please don't kill me, Jake…"_ Chris had said to him. There were tears of fear in his eyes.

_"You were bitten," _Jake responded. The hand that held the gun now pointed at his friend's head was trembling, but his voice was stoic, _"Do you want to become one of them?"_

Chris was shaking his head, crying openly now,_ "But… but what if I'm immune? Then what! Please, just…"_

He didn't let him finish his sentence.

Jake lowered his arm finally, the gun now pointed at the floor as he stared off blankly at nothing. He was the last one now, out of what had been a party of six. He looked barely twenty years old, and was in relatively good shape if not a little on the thin side. After all the running he had to do these past few weeks without proper nutrition to keep him going, any extra fat he had once had on him was long gone. His clothing consisted of a black hooded zip up jacket, a black shirt, a pair of nondescript shoes, and some dark brown pants with a generous amount of pockets, all of which were dirty and bloodstained, if not torn in places. His hair was short and black, equally unkempt and dirty. Spending your every waking moment on the lookout for danger, and of course fighting off hordes of zombies didn't leave much time for bathing and making yourself look nice.

The silence and the ringing in his ears was deafening now, a constant reminder that he was completely, hopelessly alone out here in a wasteland full of monsters who wanted nothing more than to murder him. He still had twenty miles to go, on foot, to get to the safe area, and only one bullet left.

He lifted the gun and stared at it for a long moment. His bright blue eyes were dull and lifeless, cold and calculating. He'd lost his best friend; she'd been the first to go. Then went two others, one of which he knew well. He'd had to watch every loss, watch as they all were killed; taken by the infection, or just slaughtered by the infected. After a while, he'd just grown numb to it all. Maybe around the first time he had to shoot down one of his comrades who had just turned. Somehow, it was so much worse seeing them lose their minds and try to kill you than shooting them before the infection could take hold.

Slowly he lifted the gun and placed the still-hot barrel against his temple. The odds of survival out there were zero. There was no reason to even try, might as well use his last bullet on himself, and end it all relatively painlessly right here.

That's when a deafening screech echoed from behind him before he could even cock the hammer back, and he was suddenly grabbed and slammed up against the wall so hard it knocked the sense out of him. He heard the heavy metal of the gun hit the floor, and the low, horrible sound of the monster growling deeply almost right beside his ear. He shivered violently, eyes wide with terror as he realized immediately what that creature was: A Hunter. He'd watched one of his comrades get torn to shreds by one once. There was simply no saving someone once they were pinned; you just had to get your ass out of dodge before the infected decided it wanted you as well.

He began to struggle, pushing against the wall, "No!" He cried over and over again as he attempted with all his strength to wiggle out from the infected's grasp.

This only earned him a sharp snarl, and a rather violent shove. Finally he went still and silent, closing his eyes tightly as if expecting more pain. His breath was already coming shorter, his whole body trembling in fear. This was not the way he wanted to die, not even close, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice anymore.

He cried out softly as he felt the Hunter suddenly nuzzle into the side of his neck, breathing in his scent. Shivers wracked his body, and his hands closed into fists from where they were pressed against the wall. The Hunter growled low in its throat, and Jake whimpered, so terrified his whole body actually felt numb.

"P-please…" he somehow managed to whisper the word, though he didn't even know why, or what he was asking for.

He closed his eyes tightly, tears streaming down his face as he felt the Hunter's hand on his shoulder, pulling his jacket and shirt to the side. Confused and scared, the pain finally came as the creature bit down hard on his right shoulder. He cried out and began to fight now. The bite only increased in force, sending rivers of agony coursing throughout his nervous system as those sharp teeth sunk even deeper.

After a moment the Hunter seemed to grow tired of his incessant struggling and screaming, and it finally spun and threw him to the floor violently. He hit, and still in a panicked daze, he didn't look back at the infected as he began to crawl toward the exit to the room. He could feel the blood running down and soaking his shirt and jacket, and his legs didn't seem to want to cooperate anymore.

He was barely a foot away from the door, before he heard the Hunter snarl loudly, its claws scraping the floor as it crawled like an animal over to him. He felt it grab onto the back of his neck, and slam his head down to the floor. Immediately the blood started to run from his nose, to pool beneath and cover the side of his face. The Hunter was growling deeply as it held him there, and he squeezed his eyes shut, sure this would be the time when the monster finally decided to end his life.

The Hunter released the back of his neck, and instead he felt the infected suddenly crawl on top of him, pinning him down on his stomach as it hovered over him. He felt goosebumps rise on his skin as the Hunter breathed down the back of his neck, as if still smelling him. He couldn't understand why this was happening, delirious from pain and sheer terror. He should have been dead by now, his entrails scattered around the room, his blood painting the walls.

Suddenly he felt claws stab between his shoulder blades, the pain made him cry out softly into the blood pooling around his face. There was a loud tearing sound, and the pain spiked. He couldn't even scream anymore. Feeling numbness rapidly overcoming him, he weakly reached forward for the door once more, before his body gave out. His arm hit the floor with a thump, and he went still and limp beneath the Hunter on top of him. Rapidly the darkness clouded his vision, as unconsciousness finally overtook him.

((((()))))

_Pain. _Horrible, mind rending, pain. There was no light, no other sensations, or even smells or sounds, just a horrid agony that seemed to tear reality apart at the seams.

With every muscle in his body painfully tense, he couldn't move, he couldn't even make a sound, let alone breathe. There was pitch blackness everywhere, darkness and agony. His head was spinning, and he suddenly felt violently ill. Rolling over, he barely managed to miss vomiting all over himself. What came out of him was more like tar than anything, pitch black under what tiny bit of moonlight managed to get in here.

After he couldn't heave anymore, he tried to crawl away from that foul smelling bloody mess, and fell sideways right in front of the wide open window. Vision blurred and distorting, he couldn't tell just what phase the moon was in, but it was bright like a beacon shining in right on him. Shaking horribly, he tried to reach up to wipe the tar-like substance from his mouth, but couldn't get his arm to move due to the violent fit of shaking that had seized his entire body. He coughed and gagged, a drop of that bloody substance falling from the corner of his mouth to leave a dark trail behind.

The only thought he could have at this point was the horrible realization that he was still _alive_. That bastard Hunter had simply bit him and run. It had intentionally _infected_ him, and the knowledge of that filled him with rage. He wanted to scream, to curse until his throat bled.

He coughed, weakly, the tiny action somehow taking ten times more effort than it ever had before. He closed his eyes, and it felt like the world was spinning violently all around him. He felt sick, but he really didn't think he could find the energy to throw up again even if he wanted to. It wasn't long before he found himself sitting up, violently dry heaving.

The effort of it sapped the rest of his strength, and he fell forward to land heavily upon the floor. He felt like he was dying, and honestly, death was preferable to what he knew was really happening to him.

It wasn't long before he slipped into another state of unconsciousness, which would turn out to be the most unquiet rest of his entire life. Nightmare after nightmare, followed by vivid memories of being home, times before the Green Flu struck.

The memories were at random, going from his early high school and middle school days all the way to just a week or two before news of an 'infection' spread. They filled him with warmth and comfort, familiar urgencies and fears, things he longed for now more than ever.

Honestly he thought he had it bad before, well, at least before he'd gotten away from his parents, which had been two years ago exactly. Living with two friends in an apartment, they did well to take care of each other. One of their friends would often hold parties at his house, which is where they met the two others that would eventually join them on their misadventure.

All six of them had band together on a trip to get to the safe area when they heard the evacuation report. When they had left, the infection hadn't even spread that far yet, so they decided to go their own way on their own time. The reports had been inaccurate it seemed, maybe due to the quickness of which the infection spread. But it wasn't long before they were making use of anything as weapons, and fighting off beasts that only vaguely resembled the human beings they once were.

Jake found himself awakening with a painful start; he swore he saw the face of a common infected staring back at him from behind his eyelids. Daylight had come now. It was streaming in from the window, blinding him. Impulsively, he hissed and got up to rapidly crawl away from the offending light. He found himself toppling over quickly, his strength was still sapped. Pain shot through him at the impact, and he cried out softly, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth to will away the pain. His heart was still racing.

With surprising quickness the pain subsided, leaving him feeling oddly numb and cold. But with the absence of pain, reality came crashing back. Quickly he got up and hugged onto himself, shivering as he looked around the room frantically. His friend, Chris, was gone. Chris had been the one who held the parties, and honestly he and Jake hadn't been too close before now. His body had simply vanished. Only the drying and congealed blood remained, smeared and pooled on the floor. Jake didn't really want to imagine what had probably become of him.

He shivered still harder, feeling chilled to the bone even though the air was warm. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, and the skin felt burning hot against his hand. If he wasn't already incredibly dehydrated, he probably would have been sweating even more profusely than he already was. He had a fever, probably his body fighting with all its might against the infection now festering inside him. Suddenly he felt horribly sick again, in more ways than one.

Staggering a little, he stood up and moved toward the window. Putting his hands on the edge, he stared at the three story fall to the filthy sidewalk below.

He could end it all right now. The infection wouldn't take him, and he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

His hands trembled even more violently than before. He felt his chest constrict. Dizziness overcame him, and he didn't even realize he'd stumbled backward until he was nearly falling to the floor once again. He caught himself on a nearby table, its legs screeched noisily against the floorboards as the force of his fall nearly knocked it over. He felt nauseous again, but fought it back.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill himself. Not even now, when he felt like he was dying anyway and knew he was about to turn into a monster just like the ones that had killed all his friends.

'_Why me!_' he thought furiously, '_Why did I have to be the one to survive?'_

Again he felt the rage bubbling up, an all consuming fury, and he spun and effortlessly upturned the table with one violent movement. The impulsive action surprised him almost as much as how easily he'd managed to accomplish it. The table crashed into the wall with a sound that shattered the ever-present silence like a gunshot. He stumbled away, his eyes wide, and suddenly a splitting headache had him falling and curling up on the floor in the fetal position, hissing with pain.

The agony subsided after a moment, leaving behind a residual ache, and he laid there for the longest time, shivering, twitching, and glaring at whatever happened to be in his line of sight. It took a while, but eventually he got up and headed clumsily toward the exit to this room. Flinging the door open, he stumbled into the hallway, turning and heading for the stairs. He was hissing through tightly clinched teeth, as nearly every movement brought pain of varying intensity. His head was spinning so bad he fell against the walls repeatedly, until he was finally forced to concede in holding on to one as he went. He didn't notice the feeling or the sound of his own claws scraping against and taking off bits of the cracking paint on the wall as he went.

Hugging the rail of the stairs, he made it down all three flights without falling and hurting himself, but when he finally got to the bottom, what he saw made him freeze in his tracks. There were at least five infected in the lobby area, between him and the exit. His heart nearly stopped as one by one, they all looked at him, their white soulless eyes piercing through him as they acknowledged his presence. He stumbled backward and fell onto the stairs, and watched in horror as one turned and came for him.

What happened next was like a blur, one big haze of violence and impulse. He had leaped up and swiped at the attacker, catching it upside the head and sending it into the wall beside him. The frailty caused by the sickness allowed the common infected's skull to crack under the blow, and the creature had crumpled to the floor, dead, from just that one hit.

Jake was shocked, mostly by the slash marks he'd left behind on the attacker's head. He looked at his own hand, and stared for a long moment at the long, thick claws that had grown in place of his nails, now covered with blood along with his hand. He didn't have time to gawk for much longer however, as now the other four infected had been alerted and were coming at him with their characteristic inhuman hysteria and aggression.

He backed up quickly, terrified, and tried to turn to run back up the stairs. Fueled on nothing but adrenaline, he felt he could actually make it if he only tried. He was sorely wrong, however, as he soon felt the harsh grip of an infected on his leg, and he was easily pulled down to land heavily and painfully against the stairs. He turned onto his back and struggled hard as all four of them grabbed and pulled at him to get him into attack range. He kicked at them and fought, knocking them back repeatedly, until one managed to grab his leg and bite down on his ankle.

With a strange cry of rage and pain, he finally flew up, ripping his leg free as he struck out in a manner more befitting of a lion defending itself than a human being. He tore open the face of the one who'd bitten him, disemboweled the other two, and sent the last reeling backward as he lunged forward and practically head butted it in the chest. Landing with his hands on either side of its waist, he stared up at the momentarily dazed infected. Without thinking, he leaped forward and made a break for the exit. He didn't realize he was running on all fours until he had to get up to shove the door open, from where he continued running as fast as he could until he was at least three blocks away. It was here that he stopped, one hand against a building as he braced himself, hunching over as he vomited onto the pavement. More of that bloody tar-like substance, he noticed, and he backed away from it, his head throbbing with pain.

On impulse he looked inside the building he was now standing beside, which was easy considering the door was made of glass. His eyes widened a little as he noticed a broken drinking fountain, water still leaking out to puddle onto the floor. An animalistic need overtook him suddenly, and he violently tried to shove the door open. Growling low as he realized it was locked, he continued shoving it, harder and harder, the glass began to crack. Still with that same need, he searched for a more promising entrance. There was a window not far away, and it was this he managed to smash and leap through with little to no difficulty at all. He landed upon a counter which had papers scattered over it, but he paid no mind to those as he leaped forward toward the broken fountain.

He licked up the water pooled in the crooked fountain, before turning to putting his head underneath the broken pipe to try to catch the water in his mouth. It worked for the most part, and the undeniable urge for more never stopped until he finally started to feel a little sick from too much water intake.

He crawled away from the fountain and the water, finding himself having to throw up yet again, this time beside the counter he'd landed on to get in here. At least it wasn't more black tar. He fell back, clarity returning just a little from the water he managed to keep inside, and he looked toward the door and then the window. The window was at least ten feet up from the ground, and barely big enough to fit a full grown human into. He couldn't remember how he managed to make it through that so effortlessly. He felt confused and somewhat frightened, and once again found himself inspecting his new claws.

Suddenly he felt a horrible pain stabbing into his stomach, and he almost doubled over. It took him a moment to realize that it had been quite possibly one of the worst hunger pains he'd ever felt. Looking around, he felt a sinking feeling as he realized he was going to have to go on a search alone for food. He remembered a place he'd stopped at with Chris, a few blocks away, but shortly after raiding the little store they were ambushed. Jake didn't think he could face going back there again. He decided to head further into this building, maybe to find a vending machine or something he could raid.

Death was no longer on his mind, only survival.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First I want to say thank you for your support people, it really is motivating. I'm not going to stop anytime soon, but your reviews and even when you simply add this to your story alert or favorite it is really what keeps me going strong. Okay, now on with chapter two.

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** CHAPTER II**

Jake was asleep in one of the upper rooms, having found some barely edible food left in a small fridge in one of the lower rooms. He was curled behind a desk in a corner, the only place he could find that felt safe. There were windows all over this place, most of them broken, but this one had a window that was still intact.

His body twitched, his eyes moving rapidly behind his eyelids. His dreams were vivid and numerous. Memories which were rapidly becoming what felt like the distant past. His claws hooked into his jacket and tore it tiny bits every time he twitched; the faint sound the only thing, along with his breathing, which could be heard inside this room.

Suddenly he jerked violently awake, as if someone had just punched him. He sat up, heart racing and his breath coming fast and shallow. He crunched himself yet closer to the wall, if that was even possible, and listened with rapt attention to any sound that may come. He couldn't place why he'd just woken up so suddenly, or why he felt the need to be alert at this moment.

There was a soft creaking, and he looked up to see the door across him swing slowly open. He'd forgotten to shut it all the way, it seemed. Tense, he watched from underneath the desk, his eyes only picking up on the oddly flowing shadows that came with the near complete darkness.

He saw movement, the outline of a figure. And then he heard the low growling, the same growling he'd heard not the day before; only this time it was oddly soft, unthreatening. It was almost like the creature was simply letting him know it was there.

Jake didn't know what exactly brought him to start growling as well, it just welled up in his throat, the same sound, louder and more aggressive. The dark figure crawled on all fours, oddly natural in that position as it moved into the room and stopped closer to the desk, unafraid.

Jake was suddenly angry. He moved, getting into a crouch on top of the desk, knocking off the lamp and a few papers that still remained atop it in the process. The lamp crashed to the floor loudly, but he didn't care as he glared down at the Hunter, the one who had bitten him. He just had a feeling it was the same one, the same bastard that hadn't granted him the death he'd been asking for, and instead gave him … _this._

He growled louder, his claws digging into the desk as he felt the urge to attack rise. The Hunter seemed unconcerned, but he saw its bestial eyes glinting in the moonlight as it looked up at him. It didn't have its hood up this time, he realized. Not that it mattered. He seethed still more, growling and scraping his claws on the desk, willing the creature to leave right now lest it be sorely sorry. The infected refused to heed any warning, and so, he lunged.

The next thing he knew he was on his back, the breath knocked from him and a heavy body pinning him down. A clawed hand was around his neck, and the other pressed against his chest. The Hunter hissed softly, and it leaned down over him a bit, its movements now slow and strangely deliberate. Their gazes met, and to his surprise, he saw a flash of something other than a mindless beast with only a need to kill staring back at him.

Nevertheless, he felt the rage well up again, and he lashed out violently with a vicious hiss. The infected dodged and leaped back with that inhuman grace and agility, landing and crawling back to a safe distance. He got up quickly into what could only be described as a defensive crouch, facing the creature that was facing him as well. He could now see its features vaguely under the moonlight from the window to its left; its hair was cut short and very messy, its skin was extremely pale, and from what he could tell, the creature had been quite attractive when he was still human.

Jake lunged with a speed that surprised even him, and this time his hands caught the Hunter by the shoulders and sent him backward. The two hit the floor hard, and the Hunter screeched as Jake clawed at him, tearing his clothes. The Hunter did little to attack back, but quickly managed to kick Jake off harshly, sending him tumbling into the far wall.

Jake stood up and shook himself off, facing the Hunter with a snarl. Instinct had taken over, instinct and rage. The infected was crouched in a defensive posture, growling, ready to fend off any further attack. Jake crouched down as well, bracing for another leap. Deep down, he knew he should have been being more careful. Headlong attacking what was essentially a dangerous animal wasn't smart at all, but he was being driven by something other than logic and common sense right now. He flew at the infected yet again.

This time his attack was quickly dodged and countered, he was thrown into the wall so hard he smashed straight through the cheap drywall and into the hallway on the other side. Covered in white dust now, he got up a little dazedly and brushed off his hair and face with quick, jerky movements. He looked to the jagged hole in the wall he'd made with his body, and saw the silhouette of the Hunter standing inside the other room. Jake sneezed from the dust that had gone up his nose, watching as the Hunter finally walked away. He heard the smashing of the window in that room, and glass cracking underfoot, and then nothing. Moving toward the hole, he peered inside the room, and saw that the infected had indeed departed.

He decided immediately he needed to find a new place to sleep for the rest of the night. Still dazed and only slightly grasping what had just occurred here tonight; he headed down the dark hallway to find a new place to rest.

((((()))))

It was early. The sunlight was disturbingly bright as it streamed in through the shattered window, even though Jake had successfully crammed himself into yet another mostly hidden area to sleep, which happened to be a closet with the door torn off.

He was instantly aware of how badly his body ached, muscles and wounds alike. He tried to move to get up, and groaned with the pain the action brought. The sound came out as more of a strange, raspy growl, and he coughed, rubbing his throat only to feel his claws scraping his sensitive skin. His vocal cords felt strange, slightly swollen, he wasn't sure.

A sudden hunger pain reminded him that he needed to find more food, and soon. He forced himself to get up and out of the little nest he'd made. Despite being starving, his coordination had already recovered considerably. He felt like he could almost walk straight now. He felt fine, well, compared to the first night and day after being bitten anyway. Maybe he'd get lucky and the infection wouldn't affect his mind at all, not like it had the others.

He kept thinking like this, getting further and further in denial, maybe. He still had his sanity and he was positive he was going to keep it. In fact, there was no reason he couldn't continue his journey to the safe area, was there? He'd find food, and continue on his way after that.

He decided to leave the building, and headed down the sidewalk in what he hoped was the correct direction to find a store or something like it. A few steps later and he realized rather abruptly that he didn't even have the map to tell him where to go to even get to the safe area after this. Chris had had the backpack when he died, and his body along with all those important things were now gone. He continued walking very slowly, trying to remember what the route they had been taking was at least. Well, he did remember the town they were heading to, and how far it was, so he supposed he could just take it from there…

It was then that a sound had him freezing in his tracks. It was the sound of people; living, non-infected, _people_.

He turned, and through the alley across him he heard their footsteps and their hushed and brief conversations, getting ever closer. His heart raced in his chest, excitement and sheer relief spread over him in an overwhelming wave. There were other people here! Probably on their way to the safe area as well, he didn't have to be alone anymore!

He practically leaped for the alley, falling on all fours as he ran to meet them. He sprang from the alley and skidded to a halt facing them while still crouched. Three he saw, all of them armed with a weapon but only one had a gun. She also happened to be the only female. He watched as they all stopped in their tracks at the sight of him.

"Oh fuck," The guy in the back exclaimed, "It's a Hunter!"

Jake felt a slow rise of panic and fear overcome his previous excitement, as he slowly stood up, and the woman pointed her pistol at him.

"Yeah no shit," She said, squeezing the trigger.

Pain exploded in his shoulder, and he cried out a sound very much unlike a human. He staggered back. His attempt to tell them that he was NOT in fact a Hunter fell short as he couldn't even speak. Any sound he made came out as a horrible animalistic rasp.

She was about to fire again, when suddenly there was a ferocious screech from somewhere high above. The next thing he knew, the two people were jumping back as the woman with the gun was taken down by a dark blur that had swooped in like an owl upon a field mouse.

Jake watched in horror as what he now realized was a Hunter –_the_ Hunter- slashed the gun from the woman's hand, sending it skidding across the street. One of the two others of the group of survivors came at the infected with the machete he was holding, but the Hunter spun to dodge and counterattack. Jake hadn't even realized the Hunter had slit the man's throat until the man fell to the ground, blood spraying from his torn neck like a geyser.

The other guy had a baseball bat, and he managed to hit the Hunter in the back of the head as it was going for the woman again to stop her from getting her gun back. Jake had never felt so torn in his entire life, as he watched the infected momentarily go down with a soft cry of pain.

The Hunter was saving him from the people he wanted to be saved _by_. And why? He didn't understand, he couldn't understand; after all he believed the Hunter was nothing but a mindless beast. Maybe it had just heard the commotion and thought it had a good opportunity to strike, now that its prey was momentarily distracted?

Jake growled, suddenly enraged at what he was seeing. As far as he was concerned, he was still a survivor, and this Hunter was killing his allies, after using him as a cheap distraction. Sure they had attacked him first, but a little explaining and discussion later and maybe…

Maybe if he helped them kill this Hunter they'd understand.

He flew forward with a cry of rage, and ran headlong into the distracted Hunter. They tumbled along the street, a screeching, clawing mess, like a pair of tomcats who had just collided in a merciless battle. Shredded bits of clothes fell in random areas, along with blood splattering the ground as they tumbled and clashed. There were gunshots. Jake screeched in pain as he was the one to be hit again, the bullet grazed his chest leaving a searing hot trail of agony, and he was easily shoved away by the Hunter he was attacking.

The infected did not attack him while he was down. No, instead it went for the survivors again. There were several more gunshots, and very human screams, Jake was too busy dragging himself away from the bloodstained street to look back to see what was happening at first. Making it onto the sidewalk, he watched his blood drip to the already filthy pavement before turning his gaze to the carnage in the street.

All of them now lie dead. All of them, except for the Hunter, who Jake felt pride in seeing looked incredibly torn up all because of him. It didn't matter now, however. The other survivors were dead, and he was too injured and weak to continue the fight with the Hunter. He crawled away brokenly, but not before watching with some disgust as the Hunter started to tear into the leg of the man it'd freshly slaughtered. It was forced disgust however, for he could only _deny_ the way his mouth watered at the sight, and the smell of the blood was nearly driving him mad.

He limped away quickly; hopes dashed, and with his previous goal back in mind. He needed food, _now_. Walking into the alley, he suddenly felt horribly lightheaded, and he fell against the grimy wall and shut his eyes tightly in an attempt to will the feeling away. He forced himself to continue on despite it. Who knew if that Hunter would decide that he looked like a more tasty meal than those survivors or not?

((((()))))

Darkness was falling, the moon, now barely half gone, was high in the sky. Jake sat on top of a building, hugging himself as he stared down at the bloody, moonlit street below.

He'd searched all day, trying to find any scrap of food, but he could find none. Now he felt like he was losing his mind. Rocking back and forth, wondering if he should send himself toppling from the building to end it all, or if he should give in to the incredible, horrible urge to go down there and feast upon the flesh of the people lying dead in the street. He'd come back here, but he didn't know why. Subconsciously he supposed, he knew here existed food, he knew it was what he needed to _survive_.

He twitched, his claws digging into his arm, and the pain seemed to keep him from tipping into that final void of insanity he was teetering on the edge of. The blood ran hot down his arm, to join the older, dried blood that practically covered him now.

How much longer could he deny the truth?

He was infected, and soon, he was going to be nothing more than a creature. He was already there, he could feel it, and it was taking over. Consuming, he couldn't control it. Hissing with rage, he screamed at himself internally, yes, yes he _could_ control it! He'd show everyone, he wouldn't turn into a monster, not like them. He wasn't going to become one of them. He'd starve to death before he even _tasted_ human flesh.

He brought his hand up and stared at his claws, a sore reminder that even if he could manage to resist in his mind, he could never control it in his body.

Without thinking, he brought those claws to the side of his neck and pressed them into his skin. Slowly, he brought them sideways, tearing the skin in four, long lines. The pain was nothing. It didn't distract anymore. He'd grown so used to it; all he could feel now was the hot blood as it ran down his neck to his shoulder. He brought those claws to his mouth now, and on impulse flicked out his tongue to taste the blood. It was bitter and unappealing, he could taste the disease inside himself far too well, nevertheless his stomach still begged for more.

_He was sure those survivors would taste so much better…_

The thought made him leap back away from the ledge with a soft cry of rage.

_No!_

Before he knew it, he'd run his claws into his own face, dragging them down all the way from his forehead to his chin. Blood ran down to blind his right eye, and he flicked his hand to the side, throwing the blood that had accumulated on his claws onto the roof of the building with a soft splattering noise. Snarling with rage, he headed down back into the building.

Everything in his path that could be upturned or broken _was_. He cared for nothing as he stormed to the lower level of the building and finally met the exit. He paused right when he stepped out onto the street, and stared at the body of the nearest survivor. His claws twitched, and he went for it with no prejudice left in him.

He dropped to his knees beside the man, using his claws to tear open his shirt and jacket sleeve together, essentially unwrapping him like a candy bar. Shortly after that he dove in, using both tooth and claw to rip off pieces of meat to be ravenously devoured. The body was no longer fresh, but that didn't seem to matter. Jake didn't think he'd ever tasted something so delicious in his entire life.

It took a while before his frenzy had died down, and he finally fell back, staring with muted horror at the now mutilated body of the survivor before him. It was then his eye caught movement, and he sat back quickly into a defensive crouch as he saw none other than the Hunter, standing not too far away, simply watching him. The way the creature stood now looked far too human, too sentient, and Jake felt a growl rising in his throat. He stood up as well, and tried his best to speak, to scream,

"_**Why did you do this to me!?"**_

The sounds that came out were barely recognizable as words, but he hoped they could be understood. The Hunter simply stared at him, quietly. He took a step or two closer.

"_**WHY!?"**_ he tried to scream again, maybe just one word would get the point across.

The Hunter tilted its head a little, and there was only a short silence. It was then he heard it speak, a voice not unlike what he'd managed to come up with.

"_Misery…"_ It hissed, _"Loves … company…"_

It took a moment for Jake to understand. Slowly, he felt the rage come once more, and he screamed, almost lunging for an attack, but he caught himself before he could. He was far too injured; even in his crazed mind, he knew he was only going to get his ass kicked again if he even tried to fight. Apparently the Hunter knew it too, because it didn't even flinch. He only saw it smirk, a very slight movement that he could barely see beneath the moonlight.

"_See you later…"_ It hissed suddenly, _"Jake…"_

He felt his blood run cold at the sound of his name on the Hunter's lips, and he watched as it turned, and simply, effortlessly scaled up the side of the building to disappear overtop of it. For the longest time, he simply stood there, staring in silence and numb shock.

Just how long had that Hunter been following him, if it had actually learned his name?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I just wanna apologize for the delay on this chapter, it isn't due to lack of interest I assure you. Just been really busy lately. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it.

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**CHAPTER III**

Rain poured from the sky, drenching the abandoned city in a warm summer deluge. Inside a building that stood as abandoned as all the others, a lone, hooded figure sat upon the large windowsill. The window pane was broken, but due to the lack of wind outside and the small ledge above, barely any water got in to touch him.

It had been barely two weeks since Jake was infected. His wounds had mostly healed, but he still bore the scars. The only ones visible now were the four long slashes down the right side of his face, and along the left side of his neck. They were still an ugly red color, characteristic of fresh scars.

He'd stopped fighting his own urges to hunt and to kill; after all, he had to do it to survive, and survival was all that mattered. He'd taken to copying the ways he'd seen in the Hunter, (or rather, he supposed he should now call him the _other_ Hunter,) to make these tasks easier. After finding himself a new dark gray jacket and pants, he'd realized just why the Hunter had taped down his own sleeves and pant legs; it made crawling, leaping, and hunting in general so much easier. Idly he wondered how the other Hunter had figured that out, but he didn't dwell on it for too long. He'd found some duct tape and had gotten to work before his next hunt. Now, around both his upper arms, forearms, thighs and calves, still resided a rather sloppy covering of tape, only about a few inches wide that served its purpose and nothing more.

He turned his head to gaze out the window down at the street below, and gritted his teeth a little. There it was again, that feeling, the one that was so different from the rage and the blind urges he'd felt incessantly for the first few days. Even infected and changed, still he was able to feel that unnecessary, unpleasant emotion: loneliness. The only remotely human company he had was the other Hunter, and Jake liked to keep a fair distance from the other infected, showing obvious displeasure whenever they were within sight of each other. The last time that had happened had been about two days ago. He hadn't seen the other Hunter since then.

Finally, he got down from the windowsill and decided to head back into the closet in which he made his nest for the night. The rain wasn't about to let up anytime soon, and he didn't fancy getting soaked in a likely unsuccessful attempt at hunting. Resting and conserving energy was his best bet for now.

((((()))))

_Jake stared out the window at the constantly moving scenery outside, from the backseat of the car. He was exhausted, as were the other three people occupying the car with him. They'd been on the road for two days now, stopping only for the occasional nap and of course to argue over who had to drive next._

_They'd been a day late to evacuate the city, but that hadn't seemed to be much of a concern to anyone else involved. They said the infection spread fast, and that it was advised that everyone within the danger zones get to the safe area as soon as possible. Jake had wanted to leave even before that, as soon as news of an infection spread, actually, but he stayed behind only because he wanted to be with his friend when they finally did begin the journey. She was sitting beside him right now, and her name was Laura. She was his best friend since he was five years old, naturally he felt somewhat obligated to stay behind with her and her friends, where they spent a good amount of time throwing a goodbye party. He was never much for parties, but he was happy to endure it for her. His intense loyalty was one thing he always took pride in._

_Her hair was blonde and a little past shoulder length, and due to the rather cool weather and the need to stay comfortable otherwise, she was currently wearing a big grey sweatshirt and sweatpants. All that did wonders to conceal the curvy, attractive form he knew existed under those baggy clothes. Despite that, he'd never actually found himself wanting her as anything more than a friend. Maybe he just thought their relationship was perfectly fine as it was._

_She was staring out the window much like he was, quiet and somewhat pensive. The other two in the car, a guy by the name of Chris and another girl by the name of Nicole, just chatted idly but otherwise remained quiet as well._

_A palpable sense of unease had fallen over them after they'd drove into this next town, for they realized that, just like the previous towns, this one was pretty much empty as well. However unlike those other towns, there didn't seem to be _anyone_ around at all. Before, there were at least some people still lingering behind, resting up for and from their own journeys ahead to the safe area, and of course still doing their jobs._

_Now there didn't seem to be anyone to be found, not even in the stores. The town was dead silent._

"_Do you see anyone?" Chris asked suddenly, driving slowly as he looked intently out the window._

_There was a short, uncomfortable silence. It was soon broken by Laura, "… Do you think they've all evacuated already?"_

"_I hope not…" Chris said gravely, just as they were rounding a corner. _

"_What are we going to do if they have?" asked Nicole suddenly._

_There was another long uncomfortable silence._

"… _We keep going, I guess. Only two more days of driving and we'll be home free."_

"_Well what are we going to eat?" Laura asked._

_Jake finally tore his gaze away from the window to pay attention to what was going on in the car. Always the quiet one, he didn't give any input to this question._

_Chris smirked, "If no one's around to stop us, we could just go to the nearest store and take what we need."_

_Nicole laughed, "Let's do it."_

"_Sounds like a good idea to me," Laura said with a smile._

"_Agreed," Jake finally spoke up without much enthusiasm, looking back out the window. _

_He had a very bad feeling, but decided it was better to ignore it. Seeing a town as empty as this was sure to provoke feelings of unease, he was positive there was really nothing to fear…_

Jake was torn from this strange, dreamlike flashback by the sound of a very familiar screech outside. His mind was momentarily clouded and confused by the familiar feelings and sights he'd just witnessed again so clearly he felt he was actually there for a moment. Still confused, and unsure why he felt so excited at the sound of that screech, he tore himself from his nest and ran to the window to peer outside.

Sure enough he saw the other Hunter, who was still wearing the new dark blue hoodie and black pants he'd last seen him wearing. He saw that the other infected had managed to capture a young doe, and had snapped its neck with his bare hands. He threw the animal down, and immediately tore into its stomach with his claws.

As he watched, Jake felt it come again with its characteristic abruptness, the thing that had overtaken him more times than he could count in these past few days. It was not quite rage and not quite pain, it was_ a_ _fever_; burning hot and desperate. At first he was afraid, fear always came first, the terror of knowing you are about to lose total control of yourself. His vision wavered and went stark monochromatic for a second; he felt his mind was on fire. Before he realized that he'd just unintentionally targeted the other Hunter below as his next victim, it overtook him completely.

His breathing became suddenly harsh, his growls became somehow frantic, he snarled as he got up onto the windowsill. Glass cracked beneath his hands and shoes as he moved to the ledge, his muscles tensed as he glared down at the other infected. A second later he leaped clear out of the broken window toward the street from three stories up. He hit the ground with jarring force, rolling once before stopping abruptly as he popped up into a crouch, completely uninjured from the fall that, before the infection, would have likely left him with a broken bone or two.

The Hunter seemed only mildly surprised, as he leaped away, still standing as he peered down at Jake. He was apparently not bothering to defend his kill, or maybe he was just more curious as to what the other infected wanted. Jake didn't hesitate to fly at the other Hunter with claws outstretched. The other infected braced himself, catching Jake in the air, and together they spun. The other Hunter slammed Jake onto the pavement, and had to leap away seconds later to avoid getting slashed. His sleeve was torn, but his skin was barely scratched.

Jake got up swiftly into a crouch and hissed angrily as he stared at the other infected, who had also taken on a defensive stance not a few feet away. The other infected's expression was unreadable, and the blood still smeared around his mouth gave him a surprisingly frightening appearance. Well, it would have anyway, if Jake could even feel fear right now.

There was no meaningful anger here, no grudges that Jake held to fuel the fire; there only existed the rage of the fever burning through him. For the barest of seconds he thought he saw the other Hunter's gaze from under the shadow of his hood as the infected tilted his head up a bit, and the realization in his expression was clear.

Screeching, Jake flew at the other Hunter again, and they clashed in the street in a scene similar to the one that had taken place just days before between them. Jake had managed to completely rip off the left sleeve of the other Hunter's jacket, leaving behind only a scrap around his wrist where the duct tape still held tight. He'd also managed to shred the left lower part of the other Hunter's pant leg as well, almost tearing it completely off. Not only that, but the nameless Hunter was slashed up pretty badly, his own blood splattering the pavement as he leaped away. It was only after this that he was finally able to make an attempt at escape. It didn't matter that Jake was so much smaller and weaker than him; he knew the new Hunter was in a rage, probably fit to take on a Tank in this state. There would be no stopping the fight until one of them was dead, and apparently, the elder Hunter didn't want to end it that way.

Jake followed close behind as the other Hunter climbed effortlessly up the side of a building, for the first time not being careful and slow about it. He never knew he could be so fast, so dexterous; he'd never tried anything like this before now while going at such a frantic speed. The chase continued from there, the two of them leaping over building after building, chasing each other in what looked like some extremely athletic game of 'Tag'. It was eternally frustrating for Jake, never being able to catch up, and always being _just that far_ away from his target. Soon he was screeching in rage every time he missed, or just at random if he didn't think he was getting anywhere quickly enough. It was horrible, desperate, _infuriating_.

He was in mid-leap across a particularly large gap when the exhaustion and the relief from the fever struck, just inches away from touching down onto the roof. His vision wavered and he saw color again, the fire that had been consuming him felt like it'd just been doused with ice water, causing all his muscles to seize up. The breath left him, and his ankle bent in a painful way as he hit the roof at a velocity nothing could crash land at and still be uninjured. He tumbled and rolled all the way across the roof, and if it wasn't for the feet of concrete enclosing it, he would have gone clear over the edge. The rage had never ended at a more inopportune time than this, nor had it ever ended so quickly.

Jake whined in agony, attempting to get up, only to fall face first onto the roof again. Breathing hard, he could only mentally curse himself and his disease for this. He tried to crawl away from the edge of the roof, limping and falling a few times, before he finally gave up and laid down after making it only about five feet. It wasn't entirely the injuries that had him incapacitated; rather it was the incredible weakness from not having eaten properly in a few days. At least he usually had a nice assortment of things to eat afterward, even if most of it happened to be the flesh of the common infected.

Where just a week or so ago he was welcoming death, he now refused to accept the thought of it. He arched and groaned in agony again, before falling back down. He decided that maybe a little rest would be all he needed for now. It wasn't long before he was falling into a shallow slumber; oblivious to the figure crouched nearby on the ledge of the building, watching him. Though he could barely sense it, he didn't have the energy to care. Somehow … he didn't feel threatened by that presence.

Later he would awaken to the smell of fresh blood, and the feeling of his stomach painfully begging to have it. Looking up abruptly, he noticed the fawn lying dead right beside him, its white-spotted pelt illuminated under the moonlight. He didn't even pause to acknowledge the ache in his body, as he rapidly moved to pull the young animal closer and tear into it ravenously with tooth and claw. Afterwards, he slid away, curling in a corner to digest and regain some energy.

From the taste and feel of that kill, it had been there for a little while. Certainly not fresh, but not very old either. More importantly, he knew it hadn't simply appeared there. He knew who had brought it for him, it was unmistakable, really. The only question was… _why?_

((((()))))

Jake still remembered the first time he flew into a fever-induced rage. It had taken him by surprise, not two days after he'd eaten the flesh of a human, and it had completely consumed him just like it had today. He only remembered little bits and pieces, tiny moments of mild clarity in a haze and blur of chaos and desperation. All he knew was when it began the sun was still high in the sky, and when it ended, he found himself walking dazedly through a narrow alley, and darkness was beginning to fall. There had been blood everywhere, he was covered in it, and the stench of the infection that tainted it was unbearable. He took comfort in the assumption that none of the people he'd killed had been non-infected.

It was probably around this time that he finally realized just how deep he'd fallen, just how sick he really was. Nothing could have prepared him for that moment.

Losing all control on a regular basis had of course taken a toll on his mind. It had only been about two weeks, but he'd changed so much in that time, it felt like centuries had passed. His appearance had changed drastically as well, as he soon discovered from the full-length mirror in the room he'd just climbed into while searching for a place to rest.

He was momentarily startled, and it took him a second or two for him to realize that it was himself he was looking at and not some infected who'd beat him to this room. Covered in dirt and dried blood, he could still see that the color of his skin had changed considerably, now it looked oddly gray and sallow. With almost cautious slowness, he moved forward to get a closer look at himself.

His eyes were sunken and dark, and what scared him most was the darkness that had consumed the whites of his eyes, leaving nothing but a pale blue iris that pierced the darkness of this room in a rather unsettling way. Then again, he should have expected as much. After all, the Hunter that had turned him had a much similar appearance. It still sent chills up his spine, especially now that he was seeing it on _himself_.

Feeling a further pang of curiosity, he slowly reached up, tipping his hood back with a claw to get a better look at himself. His hair was badly matted with blood and dirt, though luckily it was short enough to not present too much of a problem. He'd lost a lot of weight it seemed, and he could see his cheek bones more clearly than before. But what really drew his attention were those four jagged, red scars that trailed all the way across the right side of his face, and of course the ones on the other side of his neck which he tilted his head just to get a better look at. He could see now that the whites of his eyes were actually a deep, bloody red rather than black, thus giving them that disturbing appearance.

Slowly, he brought a hand up, and with that same thoughtful slowness, ran his long, blood and grime stained claws down the scars on his face. Seeing how they matched perfectly.

With a snarl, he suddenly grabbed and threw the full body mirror against the wall, shattering it and ending his self inspection. Once again he'd felt the anger rise as he was continuously reminded of what he had become. He had no tolerance for anything anymore. Whipping around and still growling softly, he left the room, but not before pulling his hood back up and tightening it a bit with the strings.

He would continue his search for a place to rest elsewhere…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter gets graphic in an extremely violent, slightly sexual sense near the end, just thought I'd warn a bit for that... Again, I hope you guys like this chapter as well... I have big plans ahead.

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**CHAPTER IV**

_There was screaming, and blood everywhere. Jake could hardly remember could hardly comprehend what had just happened. It was all too sudden, too catastrophic; he was in a state of shellshock. They were in the backseat of the car, Laura was lying across his lap, and her leg was torn and bleeding badly. She was crying, saying unintelligible things; she was terrified as he was._

_They had just been in the store, looking for whatever would be good for the trip ahead. Then there came the screaming, and she was attacked._

_He jumped and cried out in shock as something hit the side of the car before Chris could get the engine to start. It was a person, or so he thought, slamming his hands violently against the window of the car in an attempt to get in at the fresh meat inside. It would take Jake some time to realize this was an infected, and later he'd come to know that this was simply one of the commons. Of course, more would come, five, to be precise, before Chris could even get the car started. When he finally did, though, they drove out of their as fast as the rather cheap car would take them._

_"Oh God what was that? What was that!?" Laura exclaimed, clinging onto Jake for dear life._

_"Calm down, we're taking you to a hospital, don't worry," Chris said, trying to sound authoritative, but Jake could hear the fear in his voice._

_The infection couldn't have spread this far, could it? Not so soon, it wasn't possible…_

_"It hurts…" Laura whimpered, and Jake looked to see the very distinct shape of a bite wound on her calf, her leg was propped up on the seat. The material below it was soaked in blood, and he instantly started to look for something to wrap the wound. He ended up using his own shirt to do it._

_No one knew, and he didn't want to think about just what being bitten by one of those things meant. Everything was going to be fine, and they were going to make it to the safe area soon. He did not hesitate to assure her of this, as he comfortingly stroked her hair as she fell into a light sleep on his lap…_

Awaking with a painful start, Jake actually lashed out, hitting the wall hard enough to deeply mar its white finish with his claws. He hissed loudly through his teeth, getting up from his temporary nest, feeling extremely nauseous. He crawled and stumbled drunkenly into the empty office room, fighting back the urge to vomit.

That dream, (or was it a memory…?) had been an extremely unpleasant wakeup call. It was almost like a past life he was witnessing, the memories were too hazy to believe anymore. With a sinking feeling of dread, he realized that any memories he had were either gone or extremely tarnished. His head hurt horribly every time he tried to think back, back to who he had been before…. _His life…_

He covered his face with both hands, hissing loudly with pain as he pressed on his tightly closed eyes with his palms, the horrible ache spreading throughout his entire head. He finally had to stop trying to remember, lest the pain cause him to be sick, or worse, tear out his own eyes in desperation. He slammed his hands down onto the floor, before throwing his head back and letting out a loud, agonized shriek. He then shook himself, breathing harshly as he stared down at his own claws.

Finally, he tore himself from the floor, half staggering over to peer out the window he'd come in the night before. He was thankful for the heavy storm clouds that had apparently just rolled in, for they obscured the bright sunlight which would have only exacerbated the ache that still resided behind his eyes.

He stared down at the courtyard, three stories below, for a long moment, until he heard the low sound of rolling thunder. He pulled back to look back into the room he was leaving, an old abandoned classroom. He'd made the connection last night of this being a middle school, and for some reason, the space behind the teacher's desk looked like a perfect spot to sleep.

He looked back outside, down at the still green courtyard and then at the side of the school across it. He could practically see the kids here, as they had been before the infection spread. Could see them walking or just hanging out in the yard, laughing, talking …_living_, before they had to go inside to begin their classes.

He could visualize an average day, here at school, something that felt entirely like a nostalgic vision of the past, even though he'd never gone to this school. At least, he didn't _think_ he did… Trying to remember anything tended to send a freezing cold ice pick through his brain, so he decided not to try anymore.

Carefully, he climbed out the window, and began his steady descent down onto the still soft green grass below. He barely saw the flash, but he did hear the low rumble of thunder as he crossed the courtyard in plain sight. He walked with his hands in his pockets and his head down, face and head obscured by his hood. From a distance, he could have easily been mistaken for a non-infected human being. Such an appearance was not to last, however, as he suddenly stopped. A loud, low hiss escaped his throat, and he twitched, tearing his hands from his pockets to glare down at his own claws. He felt the fever again, and he did not fight it, no, there was no point in fighting.

He took off in a run, eventually dropping on all fours. He then leaped and scaled effortlessly up the opposite side of the school, until he met the top of the roof. Hissing and growling with every breath, he slowly crawled along the roof, scanning the streets on the other side with those bright, inhuman eyes.

There was a dog. It was severely malnourished looking, its hip bones, ribs and spine protruding from its black and brown pelt almost painfully so. It walked with its tail curled between its legs and its head down as if it was terrified of something. It was walking up the sidewalk, heading away from him, and Jake felt his blood boil at the sight of another living creature. A wicked grin came over his features, and he readied to pounce, much like a big feline would.

He lunged, all the way from the roof of that three story school building, and came down on the dog with horrifying speed. His aim was true, his hands catching the dog right in the middle of the back. Its spine and ribs shattered with a sickening crunch as it was slammed to the pavement. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard the animal screeching in agony, but it was blocked out by the sound of his blood pounding in his ears.

With all the ferocity of a rabid animal, he hooked his claws into the creature's flesh, and just started ripping, tearing, even going so far as to lift the animal and slam it against the side of the building beside him as well as onto the pavement, repeatedly. Soon the dog was no longer screaming, or moving for that matter. He cried out in a rage as he tore the dog apart, flinging viscera and body parts everywhere. It was only an afterthought to actually start _eating_ the thing he was massacring, and he tore a few mouthfuls from it before the rage forced him to continue on to find something that still had a pulse.

He stood up and ran, crossing a couple blocks before something made him stop abruptly in his tracks: A whole street full of common infected, just walking and sitting around, bored, or possibly tired from starvation. He grinned again and slowly turned toward that street, claws outstretched. He took a couple steps forward, before he lunged with a horrific screech that reverberated throughout the otherwise silent city.

He came to not even fifteen minutes later, the fever leaving just as he was about to slash apart yet another common infected. Of course they'd fought back, as the random tears and cuts that covered him told, but this one seemed to be twice as ferocious. Or maybe it only seemed that way because he'd just lost the fuel to his fire.

He stopped and staggered backward, before the infected flew at him, grabbing and hitting, and he screeched in pain and shock as his right sleeve was almost completely torn off. Only after he'd taken a few good hits, did he finally manage to incapacitate the other infected and flee up the side of the nearest building. He then ran, leaping over the rooftops of a couple more buildings so as to get a good distance away from the horde he'd just tried to massacre.

Rain was falling steadily now, the water cutting through the fresh blood that covered his face and his hands. He was thankful for that, now that the fever was gone. Sitting upright in a way reminiscent of a meerkat, he tipped back his hood and turned his face to the sky, letting the rain wash off the foul blood of the common infected he'd just blindly slaughtered.

Hissing with frustration, he decided it was time to get a new hoodie, maybe entirely new clothes for that matter, and he tried to remember where he'd found what he had on now. He'd found it after he'd been infected, that was for sure. Fighting back the headache, he brought back memories of a rather large store, a mall, maybe, somewhere downtown… He hissed and clutched his head, crouching down. What was the point, anyway? It wasn't like he had anyone to impress. He didn't think being covered in infected blood would change much.

Looking up at the sky after the pain subsided, he saw a flash within the clouds. Low, loud thunder shook the platform beneath him, making his anger instantly disappear. No matter how far gone he would become, it seemed he'd always love thunderstorms.

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back again to feel the cold rain running down his burning hot skin. Sitting back a bit, he reached up to unzip his hoodie, pulling it open. The water fell faster and harder, starting to feel like a proper, albeit somewhat cold shower. He was surprised by how utterly good it felt, as he let his hoodie fall, only held on now by the duct tape tight around the wrists.

He opened his mouth to catch some of the water, realizing abruptly how thirsty he was. He ended up trying to catch it in his hands, licking it from his palms ravenously. After a moment of this, he finally shrugged his jacket back on properly, but didn't bother to zip it back up just yet as he stood up and walked to the edge of the building. He peered down off the ledge, looking around momentarily only to confirm that there was nothing and no one around. He frowned. He was still hungry. The tiny bits of meat he was able to get off that scrawny dog had been a poor excuse for a meal at best.

Shaking himself a little in reflex, he thought about just how difficult hunting in this weather might be. But then again, the rain and thunder _could _afford him extra cover as well. Lightning flashed, and seconds later, thunder boomed overhead so loud it made his hypersensitive ears ring. He hissed and winced in surprise and pain, shaking his head again as if to clear it. He then looked back down at the street.

He froze and had to do a double take. It took him a moment to realize what he was now seeing: three very unmistakable shapes moving quickly across the street. Staring at them, he felt his heart speed up in a new type of elation. Those were people, non-infected, _survivors_. The first he'd seen since that one woman shot him through the shoulder.

It may have been surprising to know that the _last_ thing he thought of was making those people his next meal. No, again he felt the small pang, the small urge to go meet and try to befriend them. Oh how foolish an impulse that was. He felt angry at the memory of what happened last time he tried that, and finally it clicked in his mind: _People were not friends_. He'd seen up close and personal just what he'd become, no human in their right mind would ever look at him as anything other than something to be feared and shot at. He felt the rage rising inside of himself, except this time it was more controlled, more … human.

He placed his hands on the concrete ledge of the building, and glared hatefully down at them; he was very close to leaping off the building and giving chase right there and then. That's when he sensed a presence behind him, and felt a hand grasp his wrist, gently. He yelped in shock and tried to spin around to fight back, but he was held firm. Growling deeply, he tried to look behind himself, but couldn't.

_"Wait…"_

He was surprised to hear that hissing voice beside his ear, and he realized immediately who had him. He growled a bit louder, and the other Hunter released him. He whipped around and lashed out, but his claws met only air. He did not attempt any further attacks after that, because for the first time, he did not feel the need for such overt hostility toward this other infected. Maybe it was because he had other, more worthy targets in mind at the moment.

He saw that the older Hunter was still torn from their previous encounter. He'd ripped off what was left of the lower part of his pant leg himself, and his sleeves were still badly mangled; one was torn off almost completely while all that remained of the other was most of the upper arm. It was hard to distinguish his expression from here in the pouring rain, but Jake could tell the elder Hunter was pretty much unconcerned by any threat displays he had to offer. This was proven further as the other infected moved toward him now and stood beside him to peer down at the three non-infected who had made it across the street just moments before.

Jake looked at him a moment, before casting all his useless objections aside to turn and look down at their prey as well. It was obvious this Hunter had hunted people before; Jake would be stupid not to accept this learning experience while he could. Besides, it kind of felt good to be this close to the other infected, just standing here like this, despite the pouring rain. The feeling confused Jake deeply, for at the same time he would have been happy to try to tear the older Hunter to shreds again.

He really, really did not understand himself anymore. But that was no surprise.

His thoughts were cut short as he watched the other infected suddenly start to take action. The way he moved was like a cat, silent and quick, as he began to follow the survivors from up here, eventually leaping across the gap between buildings to continue on his way directly across them. Jake decided after a moment to follow, and he tried his best to be just as stealthy. Eventually he caught up to the other infected, and watched as the older Hunter started climbing down the side of the building.

Jake lagged behind on the roof, heart racing with growing excitement as he watched the other Hunter sneak up on the one survivor that was lagging quite a ways behind. In the relative darkness and rain, the person didn't even notice his impending doom until the Hunter had stood up and grabbed him, pulling him backward violently. What happened next happened so quickly, Jake wasn't quite sure what he'd seen. A swift movement of the older Hunter's hands near the survivor's throat, and suddenly the person was falling to the ground, twitching and dying without a sound. It was then the older Hunter rushed after the final two who were still on the move, and Jake took this cue as his time to join in the attack.

All his muscles seemed to be a little too tense, as he flew off the building with one powerful leap and soared clear over the street toward the smaller one of the two survivors. He landed not five feet away, before springing again a second later with claws outstretched and a high pitched screech of sheer excitement. There were gunshots, there were screams. Jake heard the other Hunter, but his cries were not of pain or fear, they were of the same spirit Jake's were; excitement, and murderous ardor.

Jake snarled as he grabbed the survivor, who he soon discovered was female due to her cries of terror, and flew forward into the alley and pinned her beneath him upon the cold, hard and wet pavement. The breath was knocked from her for a moment, her cries momentarily cut off even as she tried to struggle out from beneath him. He clutched her shoulders, his claws digging in as he glared down at her, and finally she screamed.

"Get off!" she cried, kicking and trying her best to wiggle away, "Oh God please!"

Jake narrowed his eyes at her, feeling no remorse at all for what he was about to do. She stared up at him with pure, untainted terror, and that look disturbed him so greatly, he pulled his hand back only to slash her hard across the face once, then twice, then three times, over and over again until he was just hitting her not only with his claws, but his fists as she continued to struggle violently beneath him. Soon her face was so mangled and bloody, she was completely unrecognizable.

It was about this time that Jake realized a certain effect that all her bucking and struggling had brought on. Already straddling her, he found himself pressing against her a little harder. He hissed through his teeth, closing his eyes when he felt the rain dripping from his face and nearly getting in his eyes as he tilted his head down. Gripping her head with one hand, he stabbed his thumb claw slowly into her still uninjured eye, and this had the desired effect. She started bucking and wiggling more violently, and his legs tensed as he pressed into her moving body, feeling an almost unfamiliar burning hot pleasure lancing through him with every movement.

She tried to fight, her hands on his wrist as she tried to pull his hand off her face, but her meager strength was nothing compared to his. He didn't even feel her nails digging into his skin. He hissed louder, starting to buck against her harshly as he felt something rapidly rising inside of himself. He slid both his hands down now to wrap around her narrow throat and he used this leverage to continue thrusting against her hard and fast.

He threw his head back, not stopping even when she ceased moving beneath him. It wasn't long before his heavy panting and growls turned into a cry of intense pleasure as the heat that had been building inside him finally reached a peak. He bucked a couple more times, trembling with the intensity and the mind-rending pleasure that had torn through him with little warning.

Hunting had never felt like _that _before…

Reality came crashing back to him painfully fast afterward, and his eyes snapped open. He turned slightly, sensing eyes on him. He was somewhat surprised to see the older Hunter crouched nearby, watching him silently, his features completely hidden by his hood. Jake remembered suddenly that he still had his own hoodie unzipped and open, and he felt extremely exposed for more reasons than one.

The older Hunter stood up, tipping his hood back, and Jake saw that he was smiling. It was a smile that had the young Hunter looking away, for the first time he could not meet the other Hunter's gaze. He hissed softly to himself in mild frustration, before glancing back over, only to see that the other Hunter had vanished.

After a long moment of getting over what had just happened, Jake tore open the carcass before him to start feasting upon it like he'd at first intended. He was hungry, and no amount of chagrin was going to get in the way of that.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER V**

It was a clear, calm night; a soft cool breeze was blowing, hinting at the winter that was soon to arrive. Every star in the sky was visible, for the city no longer had electricity and artificial light to drown out their subtle glow. The only thing that remained to obscure them was the round, full moon that lit up the city just enough for human eyes to see. Well, if one could even call those eyes _human _anymore.

Here, near the edge of the city, there resided what seemed to be the only remaining sign of life: A small herd of whitetail deer. The air was so calm and silent that the sound of their hooves could be heard as they moved with the typical amount of caution associated with prey animals. Obviously they were only passing through in an attempt to get to greener pastures, for they dare not stop for anything.

From high above upon a building, a dark figure moved swiftly, its attention held rapt to the few creatures moving quietly through. The hooded figure stopped and stared down at the herd for a short moment, before finally it turned its gaze up. The meager light played upon the lower part of his face no longer hidden in shadow. Four, long telltale scars were visible on the right side of his face as he searched the rooftops across himself with his gaze.

He placed a clawed hand upon the ledge and looked back down at the herd, his face once again completely shadowed in darkness beneath his rather large hood. Suddenly there came the loud sound of a growl further up ahead, and all ten deer in the street froze in their tracks, their heads and ears up. Jake wasted no time now, as he then leaped with surprising grace off the edge of the building, his claws outstretched as he came down upon the biggest doe near the back of the herd. The animal saw him, but only after it was much too late. She reared up and tried to jump away, but his claw caught her throat, tearing it wide open and sending her reeling. She ran headlong into a car and fell down, her feet kicking in the air, and Jake had to jump out of the way as the rest of the herd scattered in all directions, and he was nearly run over.

He heard a loud screech, and whipped around just in time to see the older Hunter land upon one of the fleeing deer. They hit the pavement with a loud crunch of bone as the deer's ribs cracked under the impact, and the animal was made short work of after that via the Hunter's claws. Jake only observed this a moment or two longer, before he turned to his own kill which was still kicking and flailing up against the abandoned and rusted car she'd landed against.

Growling, he approached, and only leaped in when he thought he was at little risk of being injured by a well aimed hoof. He grabbed her and slammed her down, before tearing into her violently with his claws. He would have gone in with his fangs first, but he'd already learned that getting a mouthful of fur was never fun.

As usual he ate quickly, and then took his leave by climbing up onto the nearest building. He sat on the ledge and began to lick his claws clean as well as his face in much the same way a cat would. He didn't mind blood on his clothes, but having it on his skin got bothersome once it began to dry into a sticky, crusty mess. As he did this, he watched the older Hunter as he continued to feed on his own kill at a much more leisurely pace.

Not once had Jake hunted alone since they'd taken down those survivors together, and he preferred it that way. Teamwork always guaranteed success, it seemed.

The older Hunter had gotten some new clothes apparently, wearing entirely black now so that he nearly completely blended in with the night aside from the duct tape holding down his sleeves and pant legs. Jake wasn't exactly sure when he'd gotten those, but the increasingly cold weather had probably been what prompted him to do so; there really was no better reason.

Two days ago, Jake's random rages had ceased entirely. Things seemed to have finally stabilized inside himself, and it was an entirely new world now. He didn't remember a thing of his past before he became infected, and as far as he was concerned, he was just a beast and had always been. Even the flashbacks had ceased almost entirely, though, there were times his dreams held the barest hints of nostalgia that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to figure out.

After a long moment of watching silently, he finally got up and turned to leave, disappearing into the night.

((((()))))

Barely a month had passed before the first snow had begun to fall. Jake couldn't figure out why he somehow knew that it would be wise to get in and away from it. It, like many other things he did that he couldn't explain just seemed like instinct now, and he immediately left his current perch to find a suitable place to nest.

He found it in an abandoned bedroom. Everything had been left just the way it had been when people lived there; they, just like everyone else, had apparently been in a big hurry to get out of the city in time. Judging by the amount of infected around however, he figured they hadn't been entirely successful in that endeavor.

Unthinkingly, he tore everything off the bed and brought it into the closet. He even took the clothes out of the dresser and already hanging in the closet and threw them inside to make more bedding. Though he did pause when he came to one article of clothing hanging in said closet, and that was a rather large, light gray hoodie that had chrome studs on the hood. He growled softly, before grabbing that and throwing it on the now bare bed behind him. Quickly he slashed the tape off he had around his wrists, quickly taking his old bloodstained hoodie off to swap it with this new one he found. It looked much, much warmer than the one he had on currently.

Afterward, he crawled in and rolled around a little in the new nest he'd made, feeling immensely satisfied with his work. He'd never made a permanent nest before, but he figured such a thing was going to be necessary now.

After a long moment of lying around, he finally left the closet, put his hood up, and then departed through the wide open window. He still had hunting to do today, and he wasn't about to go out after dark to do so.

((((()))))

The sun was setting, taking with it the last warmth that the day had to give. Not that it was much in the first place. Jake had managed to catch a squirrel to snack on, but that was about it. Hunting had become increasingly difficult, and it had been a while since he and the other Hunter had gone together, mostly due to the fact there really wasn't much to go after in the first place.

He retreated back into his new nest and began covering himself completely with the blankets and other things he'd grabbed from the room. He would stay here conserving warmth and energy before the sun came up once more. It wasn't long before he was dozing off; lulled to sleep by the comforting warmth and darkness that surrounded him now.

An indiscernible amount of time later, he was awoken by the sound of the window to this room opening, and then the thump of something heavy hitting the floor. Wind whistled through the window violently, and he heard movement.

He decided immediately to get up to see what the commotion was. Cautiously, he climbed from his nest and peeked out through the wide open closet door. He looked just in time to see a dark, snow-covered figure stand up from the floor, shaking himself with a few short jerky movements to get some of the snow off. The figure then whipped around and shut the window with a sound so loud it made Jake jump.

As he watched, he noticed the tape on the figure's arms and legs… and quickly realized that this wasn't just some random intruder. Jake was confused at first, completely unsure what to do. His hunting partner, someone who he'd grown to think of something as a friend now, had just broken into his nesting area. He didn't want to be hostile, but at the same time, he didn't know if that wasn't the most appropriate way to go. He decided he'd start by making his presence known.

Growling softly, he crawled forward entirely out of his nest to crouch before the entrance to it. He stared up, watching as the older Hunter turned and looked down at him. He couldn't see the other infected's expression, for his face was completely hidden under the shadow of his hood. He watched as the other Hunter slowly got down into a crouch as well, and then began to approach.

Jake was surprised and slightly frightened as the other Hunter came very close, their noses nearly touched as the other Hunter sniffed at him once. He took a quick step backward, almost backing up completely into his nest as he did so. The older Hunter tilted his head as if curious, but did not try to attempt that again. Instead he stood up, and, moving a little past Jake, he peered into the closet for a moment. Jake growled again, standing up as well and placing his clawed hand near the other Hunter's against the doorframe as if to block him from coming in.

Finally the other Hunter growled back, his own sound somewhat lower and therefore a tad more threatening. Jake was taken off guard as he felt the other Hunter's ice cold hand around his throat, and he was pushed backward into the closet, and up against the wall, nearly tripping on the way there. He accidentally whimpered, frightened as he felt the older Hunter's claws poking his skin. He gripped onto the Hunter's wrist, but when no pain came, he hesitated in lashing out at all. This seemed more like a show of dominance than a threat, and for some reason, Jake … didn't mind that nearly as bad as he should have.

There was a short moment in which the older Hunter hesitated, his hand loosening from around Jake's throat. He watched the other Hunter with wide, slightly scared eyes as the other infected ran his hand down his chest, playing with the zipper on his new hoodie for a moment. Jake was taken off guard yet again as the other Hunter slid closer, holding him by the shoulders as he pressed his face into the side of his neck, much like the time when they'd first met. Only this time, the reasons for it were much different.

Jake tensed up and hissed softly through his teeth as he once again felt the other infected's extremely cold skin against his own. It was then he realized just how cold the other Hunter must be; he'd just come in from what looked like a raging snowstorm after all. That had to have explained why he was doing this, at least.

He heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down quickly, and jumped a little with a gasp when he felt an ice cold and clawed hand slide under his hoodie and press against his chest. The older Hunter hissed hotly against the side of his neck, causing him to shiver and grasp at the other Hunter's back in reflex. He could feel how unpleasantly cold and wet the other infected's hoodie had become, especially when he pressed closer and he felt it against his bare skin. Unthinkingly, he reached between them and began to attempt to remove the offending fabric, unzipping the older Hunter's hoodie quickly once he got a hold on the somewhat slick zipper.

The older Hunter growled a little at this, and Jake quickly stopped what he was doing. He watched nervously as the other Hunter finally backed away enough to shrug his hoodie off, and he tossed it outside of the closet, before advancing upon Jake once again. Jake made a sound of surprise as the older Hunter slid both his arms inside his hoodie now, hugging him tightly to himself. Jake shivered as his warmth was slowly stolen, and he had the sudden urge to curl up back in his nest. He decided to give in to that urge, and take the other Hunter with him.

Some growling and slight protesting later, and Jake had managed to get the other Hunter down and into his nest. Lying partially on top of him, Jake gasped as he felt the older Hunter suddenly bite his shoulder, not hard, but it was definitely jarring. He bit back mostly out of reflex, somewhat softly on the side of his neck, causing the other Hunter to have to let go with a very annoyed sound. They continued squabbling like this for a moment, biting, pawing, and just pushing each other around, all of it not nearly violent enough to actually injure either of them or move them much from their positions. Neither of them was used to being so close to another without there being blood and violence involved, so this was really only natural.

It wasn't long before their mild bickering stopped, for they were both much too tired to keep it up, especially when the warmth of their bodies and the nest to aid the process. Soon they simply lie snuggled close, falling into their own respective sleeps.

The morning would bring more muted squabbling as they awoke and disentangled themselves from each other. The older Hunter had to search a bit to find his hoodie again, which thankfully was now dry. They had quite a bit of snow to go through, and Jake really was not looking forward to this upcoming hunting session. Nevertheless, he left shortly after the other Hunter, deciding to follow him for a while. Maybe they'd get lucky and run into a deer or two.

* * *

A/N: (Adding these at the end of the chapters now because... idk I just like that better.) Thanks again for all who reviewed and fav'd and such. Please continue to review, it really helps this all along. Also yeah I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but it was necessary. Again, I hope you all enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

It was the second snowfall even though the air outside today seemed rather warm, and Jake was sitting atop a building when it came. He tilted his head up to the bright white sky, and watched as the snow fell steadily down, only to melt the moment it touched either him or the ground. His eyes narrowed in slight annoyance, but he figured he'd keep on hunting despite this change of weather.

He ran and leaped off the edge of the building, catching himself easily on the side of the next by latching onto a windowsill. After getting a good grip with feet and hands, he started a brisk climb upward until he was able to pull himself up onto the roof. What he saw when he got up there, however, gave him abrupt pause.

A person, or rather another Hunter, sat crouched and facing him. It didn't take him long to realize this wasn't his friend, mostly because his clothes were different (wearing a white hoodie, which needless to say, wasn't actually too white anymore), and he was lowered in an offensive position, growling deeply. Jake shifted backward in surprise, but was unable to go anywhere due to the steep ledge behind him. The strange Hunter saw this small action as weakness, and did not hesitate in lunging straight for him with claws outstretched.

Jake let out a small cry of shock, just as he was caught by the shoulders and the two of them went flying off the edge of the building. There was a moment of weightlessness as they soared through the air, before his back hit the roof of the next building with enough force to drive all the oxygen from his lungs. In reflex he struck out, his hands clasping around the throat of the enemy infected, and he felt claws ripping into his chest seconds later. His breath finally returned and he screeched with rage and pain, using all the leverage he had to throw the enemy Hunter sideways, kicking and digging his claws into the other's throat.

Blood splattered on the rooftop as the enemy finally made to break away, leaping backward only after he'd dislodged Jake's claws from his neck enough to do so. Jake got up and crawled backwards fast, never taking his eyes off the other infected. His hoodie was now torn on the chest, and fresh blood was dripping forth to rewet the blood already soaked through the once light-colored fabric. He would have been a bit more upset about this, if he wasn't already feeling enough adrenaline flowing through his veins to fuel a rage the likes of which he hadn't felt in quite some time.

He stood up and roared at the enemy infected, who was not at all swayed by this display. Instead he stood up as well, getting into attack position as he growled loudly. Jake took this response as a definite _'come and get me'_, and so, he did. He flew at the enemy, ready to rip out his throat and then some. The rival Hunter stayed just out of reach to be pounced as he lashed out as well, and they both ended up clawing each other's arms up horribly, shredding each other's sleeves and tearing skin. Already the rooftop was becoming quite a scene of carnage; blood was being splattered and smeared everywhere.

Jake was taken by surprise, as then came a shrill, rage-filled screech from his right. He didn't have time to look, before he was being slammed into again with enough force to knock him off his feet. He and his attacker flew off the edge of the building, and Jake felt pain shoot through him as he landed on his shoulder way down on the street below. He rolled away from his attacker immediately, lashing out with his uninjured arm as he did so. He growled deeply, standing up and backing away quickly as he looked his new assailant up and down; another Hunter, of course, and this one was wearing a normal camo patterned hoodie. He was also a bit smaller than the other, and Jake knew he could have easily taken him, that is, if he didn't have backup.

The first attacker leaped down and landed gracefully beside the second, and the two advanced toward Jake, growling. Jake growled back, but deep down he knew that the odds were heavily against him now. Two against one, he didn't stand a chance. The only option was to run.

He was about to do just that, when movement from above caught his eye. He looked up at the building he'd just been thrown from just in time to see the blur of a dark figure coming down at them with arms outstretched. Jake jumped backward just as the smaller of the two Hunters was about to fly at him, and instead the enemy's partner was taken down violently right beside him.

There was quite a bit of agony-filled screaming, but not from the one who'd leaped to the rescue, no, from the Hunter pinned beneath him. Jake saw the newcomer –his friend- had allowed the other Hunter to flip over, just before he lunged forward to bite into the side of his neck. The smaller enemy Hunter looked momentarily unsure what to do, but he soon leaped forward to attempt to help his partner. Jake reacted quickly at seeing this, grabbing the enemy and throwing him down. This resulted in quite the clash, and if Jake's sleeves and arms weren't torn all to hell before, they were now.

Suddenly there was a screech of pain that Jake distinctly recognized, and frantic movement behind him. He leaped away from the one he was attacking to look to see his friend and the enemy, only this time the enemy had a hold on his friend with his claws and was just lunging up to bite back. Jake roared in anger, and was about to leap in to help when he felt the other enemy leap on his back. He wasn't expecting it, so he was easily taken down.

He screeched in pain as he immediately felt sharp teeth digging into his shoulder, and he successfully bucked and threw the smaller Hunter off of him. Now extremely pissed off, he forgot all about what he was going to do before, and turned to leap upon his enemy with all the aggression of a rabid dog. They clashed ferociously, and somehow Jake ended up on his back with the other trying to slash out his throat. Shortly after, the smaller Hunter was torn off and thrown to the side by Jake's friend, thus ending their brief battle.

Jake saw that his friend was now absolutely covered in blood, from his chin all the way down his chest and splattered around his body in random places. He was growling viciously, looking about to pounce upon and tear apart the enemy in a second. Jake got up, noticing the other enemy lying motionless in the street with a torn throat and a good sized pool of blood beneath him. It was obvious he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Apparently the enemy still standing noticed this, for he immediately turned to flee.

Jake was about to chase after him if only to instill the point, but for some reason he felt a deep concern that caused him to stay. He looked at the other Hunter, seeing he was holding his left arm and there was a little bit of blood running out from between his fingers. By the way he was breathing and carrying himself though, that was obviously not the worst of his injuries. Jake wondered then just how much of that blood covering him was his own.

Worried, Jake approached his friend, only to get snarled at. He took a quick step back, surprised by this. The other Hunter looked at him for a minute, before turning quickly and walking away. It was obvious he was trying to hide the fact he was limping, as he made his way into the alley not far off. Jake followed a good distance behind, and watched as the other Hunter stopped in the middle of the alley. He looked down at an open basement window, before moving quickly to crawl inside of that and disappear from view.

Jake hesitated to follow. His presence wasn't wanted right now, as was obvious due to the way he'd just been snapped at. He didn't need more injuries to add to his already rather nice assortment, let alone from a friend, and so he decided to just leave. He'd come back later.

…

Later came when the sun was just beginning to set. Jake had found some cloth and tape to bandage his arms with while he was gone, as was plainly visible now. The makeshift bandages went all the way up his forearms from his wrists, and were now stained a deep red from his blood. He barely had any sleeves left, just shredded remains that only barely covered his upper arms. He had a few scratches on his upper arms as well, but none were severe enough for his attention.

Carrying the severed hind leg of a dog he'd killed not long before, he approached the small entrance to the basement that he'd seen the other Hunter crawl into. There was a little bit of blood on the ground near it, and the window was broken out completely with not a shard of glass to be found still sticking in the frame. Cautiously, he got down and peered into the dark area inside. With the limited light, he could see some shelves and boxes, but not much else.

He set down the leg of the dog, before he turned and lowered himself in through the window quickly and quietly. He dropped into a crouch on the empty floor, and peered around a moment to make sure he wasn't about to be attacked. He did not see the other infected anywhere, but then again, there were a lot of hiding places in here due to the number of shelves, boxes, and other items lying around. This place was obviously once used as a storage area.

Silent and cautious, he moved forward, and peered around the edge of a shelf into a kind of hallway created by all the stuff lying around. Listening very carefully, he realized he could hear the sound of shallow breathing. He crawled forth to follow the faint sound. That's when he heard movement, and a sharp growl that had him freezing and nearly dropping to the floor. He sat there a moment, and when he wasn't attacked, he got up to continue searching. There was no doubt the other Hunter was in here, for he recognized that growl.

To his right there was an opening by the wall, and it is this he stopped beside before peering behind the stack of boxes. Sure enough, the other Hunter was in there. Jake moved to get a better look. He saw the older infected was lying with his back to him, curled in the fetal position and trembling with every breath.

Jake felt a very strange thing at the sight. It was something he'd forgotten he could feel, and he didn't like it. With one hand, he lightly scraped his claws against the floor, and knocked his hand against the box beside him in one movement. This successfully got the other Hunter's attention. He got up and faced the source of the sound quickly, and almost fell back down in the process. The snarl he gave at that moment was probably one of the most terrifying he'd ever made.

Jake flinched, very nearly shying away with the small pang of fear he felt; yet another emotion he was unused to. Shaking himself, he moved forward, more into view just in case the other Hunter didn't know it was him. The other infected stopped growling, and for a moment he simply stared. Then, with a shuddering sigh, he turned and lay back down heavily, in the same position as before.

With some caution, Jake approached the older Hunter. He was compelled by that strange new emotion, he wanted to know just how badly his friend was hurt. He paused at the edge of the makeshift nest, and placed a hand upon the pile of boxes. As if sensing him, the older Hunter tensed and began to growl again. Jake hesitated for a moment, and then, practically holding his breath as he did it, pulled himself closer.

He noticed something then that he'd never seen before. The older Hunter's right sleeve was torn wide, and where the blood wasn't obscuring it, he saw four long, deep scars running all the way down the length of his arm. Unlike the other ones, these were white and raised, telltale signs of them being fairly old. For some reason Jake was immediately reminded of his own scars, self-inflicted. He wondered if this Hunter had done the same thing…

That's when the older Hunter moved, turning to hiss at Jake and swipe at him. The younger Hunter gave a surprised yelp and jumped back, holding himself low to the ground after he landed. He watched the other Hunter, listening to him growl, and he watched him lay back down. Jake could tell he was exhausted, and he was once again reminded of just how much his presence wasn't wanted right now. He decided to leave then, but not before he left the dog leg he'd brought with him near the older Hunter's nest. It wasn't much, he was going to have to find something more than that to bring back soon.

Climbing back out through the window, he stood in the darkening alley for a moment, actually wondering if he should really leave or not. Clenching his fists hard enough to cause pain, he forced himself to go. He did not know why he felt compelled to help, and to protect. It confused and angered him, but like pretty much everything these days, there was no fighting it.

He decided he'd go hunting again, for his friend, before he finally retreated to his own nest for the night. The cold that came with night was mild enough to bear these days, though there was no telling how long that would last; winter was supposed to be at its peak.

* * *

A/N: Arrggg sorry, another short chapter. Also I apologize for the wait, again, busy. Keep those reviews and such coming, each one is a joy to read. I truly thank everyone who has. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. :3


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER VII**

Jake lie on his back upon a couple of crates, keeping near the area where he knew his friend was recovering. A day and a night had gone past, and today he'd found fresh blood smears from a fresh kill that Jake hadn't brought himself. It was a good sign; it meant his friend was well enough to hunt for himself. Still, though, Jake wasn't going to leave for very long until he knew for a fact the other Hunter was well, and no longer recuperating inside that basement.

Idly he tapped his claws against his chest as he stared at the overcast sky, feeling more nervous than bored despite his outward appearance. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and going completely still for a moment. He'd already gone hunting for himself, now he had absolutely nothing to do; except wait, of course. He was beginning to realize just how much he _loathed_ waiting…

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and claws scraping the pavement had him up and in a crouch as he looked sharply in the direction he'd heard it in. He was somewhat surprised to see a familiar Hunter as it entered the alleyway and stopped near the entrance of it. He instantly recognized it as the one he'd fought not a couple days ago; the small one, still wearing his camo hoodie that was torn up but admittedly not nearly as bad as Jake's was.

With a sharp snarl, Jake leaped off the crates and landed facing the newcomer. He was more than ready to finish their confrontation right here, right now. The answering growl from the other Hunter came soon after, and he watched as the smaller infected dropped into a defensive stance. Jake raised his lip a little and he flexed his fingers, eager to feel the other's flesh rending under his claws. Immediately he broke into a run, and leaped forth at the other Hunter with claws outstretched.

He really was not expecting the screech from somewhere above, or the weight on his back which sent him face first into the wet and dirty pavement below. He immediately began to struggle, crying out in pain as he felt claws digging into him to hold him still. It took him a moment to notice the third new arrival who had just landed in a crouch before them. Jake felt rage well up inside of himself now; that little bastard had set him up!

He screamed again, managing to flip onto his back and lash out violently against the one who had landed upon him. The enemy Hunter jumped away in order to avoid getting eviscerated, and Jake got up right after him. Instead of springing a counter attack, he then leaped for the first thing he could grab a hold of to climb up and away. He heard the back of his sweatshirt tear as the third enemy tried to catch him in the process, and the clawtips just barely grazed his skin, making him hiss purely in anticipated pain.

He managed to grasp onto a large pipe traveling up the side of the building, and promptly began to climb up it. Briefly his thoughts went out to his friend. What if these Hunters decided to go after him instead? Before he met the rooftop, he felt both the enemy Hunters leap onto the pipe behind him followed by the smaller one, one after the other, and immediately he felt a very short lived relief at knowing they were after him and him alone.

Heart racing purely with fear for himself now, Jake lunged onto the building and kept going until he was flying over the rooftops and climbing over anything he could possibly get a grip on. The three enemy Hunters never fell too far behind, he could hear them, and practically sense their eagerness to have him. A fleeting thought had him realizing that this is what it felt like to be the prey; to be hunted.

Vaulting over the edge of a building, he curled slightly as he crashed through the window of the building opposite it, one that stood just a little too high and too close to be climbed upon without wasting valuable time. The glass barely missed cutting his hands as he forced himself up again from the floor, and headed across the room for the already broken window. He stopped abruptly in his tracks as he saw that, just barely a foot away from the window, was a solid brick wall. He felt his heart sink, and for the first time, true fear began to consume him.

Frantically he looked around for an alternate exit. Running to the other two windows in this rather small room, he saw that they led out to a drop five stories down to the streets below. He then heard claws scraping the window ledge that he'd just jumped in from, and the heavy breathing of the creature making the sounds. He whipped around, just in time to see a dark Hunter spring in through the window. The enemy stood up, and Jake saw that this Hunter was bigger than him by little less than a foot. He was wearing all black; even the tape on his arms and legs was black.

Growling in an attempt to seem threatening, Jake backed up against the window, and immediately the enemy Hunter leapt toward him with a sharp snarl. Jake dropped his stance abruptly, just barely dodging the attack and he lunged forward, slamming his shoulder hard into the enemy's stomach. The force of his own attack almost threw him off balance, but it served its purpose well. The dark Hunter reeled backward and hit the floor with a cry of pain.

Jake backed up again, just in time to see the Hunter in the camo hoodie climb in through the window; the second enemy had already come in, and was now running at Jake with claws outstretched. He couldn't avoid the claws that soon buried themselves deep in his shoulders, and he was flung violently sideways into a wooden coffee table that shattered under him as if it was made of plywood. He was then leapt upon, and in reflex, his hands flew up for the enemy's throat. He felt his thumb claws dig in deep, and hot fluid began to run down his arms soon after. The enemy didn't seem to notice this, and Jake cried out in pain as he felt claws slash across his chest and stomach. Fueled by adrenaline and the need to survive, Jake didn't even hesitate to start shredding the one on top of him, starting with the throat.

The next thing he knew, the enemy upon him was leaping away, and he himself was up and pressing his back against the corner of the room. His arms were covered in hot, rapidly cooling and congealing blood, and he couldn't really comprehend what had just happened; if he'd just killed the one attacking him or not. He only noticed that he was now being advanced upon by both the small Hunter and the dark one who'd attacked first. He couldn't even feel the pain of the wounds he knew he had.

Still, the instinct to flee overcame the one to fight. He flew from his corner like a frightened cat, knocking past anything that tried to get in his way. There was a hallway, a narrow one, and he ran through that before slamming through the cheap wooden door at the end of it. He didn't take in the features of the room, focusing more on the window which was covered by a curtain. He decided to not give the window a second thought, covered or not. He leapt for it, crashing through it and taking the curtain with him.

There was a moment of weightlessness, and then another crash of a second pane of glass, this one in place of a roof. The curtain tore away completely now, and Jake landed upon a solid floor heavily. After a moment, he forced himself up and crawled quickly backwards, until his back hit something soft. He looked behind himself quickly, and saw that he'd run into a sofa. He also realized the floor beneath him was carpeted. Apparently he'd landed in what used to be someone's living room.

Getting up, he quickly headed for the hallway, and went into the first wide open room he could find, desiring nothing more than to find a place to hide. He went for the bed, falling to the floor and pulling himself under it to curl against the back wall. He tried to listen for the enemy Hunters through the constant and unbelievably loud pounding in his ears. He could feel the pain in his chest and stomach of where the enemy's claws had torn him now, and he was trembling violently. He didn't believe the wounds were fatal, but he also had no clue if he was truly safe yet, either.

That's when a strange sound met his ears. Slowly his fear dwindled and was replaced by curiosity, and he pulled himself more toward the edge of the bed, head tilted a little as if to listen. It took him a moment to realize that it was the sound of a woman sobbing. Now completely filled with wonder, he crawled out from under the bed, and slowly headed in the direction he heard it in; down the hallway, the room next to the one he was in.

He stood up and placed his hand on the doorknob, before slowly turning it. The intense sobbing never stopped, even as the door slowly opened with a soft creak of the hinges. He peered inside, seeing at first nothing but a bedroom that had been quite thoroughly torn asunder. There was paper and shredded fabric scattered across the floor, and even the bookshelf across from the door was broken in more places than one, every single book torn and their pages scattered about the room.

Suddenly, there was a sharp growl and a heavy thump from the direction of the living room. Jake immediately felt another spike of fear. He quickly entered the room, shutting the door behind himself as quietly as possible so as not to alert the other Hunter. Facing the door and slowly backing up, Jake heard the sobbing stop. He looked in the direction it had been coming from abruptly.

On the bed which was also incredibly torn, he saw a rather thin woman lying with her back to him. She wore hardly anything, her white shirt and pants were almost completely shredded leaving almost nothing in the way of modesty. Slowly she sat up, turning her gaze toward him. Somehow he already knew she wasn't a survivor just from looking at her, but still, her bright red eyes and that ghostly white complexion startled him somewhat.

She turned to face him, tilting her head like a curious kitten as she looked at him, and one long strand of white hair fell over her eye. Jake noticed her hands as his gaze traveled down her body, and the black daggers she seemed to have grown on each finger. His eyebrows went up a bit, and immediately he began to wonder if he hadn't just inadvertently gotten himself into yet more trouble.

There was a low growling outside the door now, and both Jake and this mysterious infected looked over at it at the same time. Quickly Jake turned his attention toward the window that was only covered by a set of mangled blinds.

Suddenly, there was a harsh bang against the door, and then another, until the door swung open. The dark Hunter leaped inside, growling as he approached Jake. He didn't even notice the other infected, until she was flying at him with a scream that was enough to daze both the Hunters. Jake was knocked backward into the already broken bookcase, and he saw the enemy Hunter with the other infected upon him. Jake didn't bother to stay to see more. He just turned and broke out through the window quickly. All he knew was that he had to get away.

He heard the screaming intensify from the building he'd left behind, as he gripped onto a windowsill outside and climbed up onto it. He turned to look, but couldn't see anything except blood splattered upon the torn blinds. There was more than one Hunter in there; he could hear their cries of pain and rage as well as the mysterious female infected's cries. For some reason he felt oddly concerned for her; possibly because she'd just basically saved him. Nevertheless, he turned and began to attempt to climb up onto the rooftop. Hissing with a sudden spike of unexpected pain, he almost lost his grip on the building. Looking down at his leg, he saw four long gashes along his thigh, ones he didn't remember getting. He realized then that the mysterious infected had attacked him as well.

Suddenly he didn't feel so sympathetic.

Growling, he bit back the pain and climbed up the rest of the way. Getting back to where his friend was staying wasn't going to be easy now, but he had to do it. He paused at the edge of the building as he heard the last of the screaming abruptly stop. Looking back over his shoulder, he listened carefully. It wasn't long before he heard the telltale sound of a woman softly sobbing. He looked away and continued on.

((()))

It was well after dark by the time Jake made it back to the basement hideout. He'd found more cloth to wrap his leg wound with, for the blood-loss was getting to be a bit much. It was hard telling what color that cloth used to be. Limping slightly, he headed for the entrance to the basement, wondering momentarily if the older Hunter was still there.

He hardly noticed the snow, the sparse flakes as they fell from the dark sky above. It was cold out, and he was now shivering harshly with nearly every breath. Trembling, he crawled into the tiny entrance to the basement, and fell heavily down onto the floor below. He winced and hissed through tightly clenched teeth, biting back a sharp yelp of pain. He rolled into a crouch, and began to crawl into the small maze of boxes and shelves toward where he'd last seen the older Hunter. He was breathing so raggedly it was hard for him to hear if the other Hunter was there, but he was soon to find out as he rounded the corner.

Pausing there, Jake felt a strange sense of relief as he saw what he'd hoped he'd find: His friend lying curled on the boxes, and there was even a torn apart deer carcass lying nearby. Jake felt his hunger suddenly spike at the sight, and he immediately crawled over to the mutilated animal, not bothering to be quiet at all. He only realized how big of a mistake that was, when there came a very ferocious snarl and he was suddenly grabbed and slammed into the floor. For the umpteenth time that day, Jake felt pain tear through his system and he let out a high-pitched cry, unable to bite it back in time.

There was a deep growl, but it sounded oddly calm compared to the snarl that had been previously uttered. He felt the grip on him loosen, and the older Hunter let him go, but did not move away yet. With a snort, he felt the older Hunter lean over him, moving down to sniff at his back and shoulders. There was a moment in which neither of them moved, and it was very quiet aside from Jake's rather harsh breathing.

It was then Jake felt a hand sliding down his side, and the older Hunter moved down as well. He felt a light touch on his injured leg, brushing over the makeshift bandage there. He twitched and his eyes went wide, expecting pain, but none came. Then the older Hunter shifted up quickly, grabbing Jake by the shoulders and flipping him over onto his back.

Jake hissed in slight pain as he looked up at the other Hunter, somewhat fearfully. He was weak and injured now; he wouldn't be able to do anything if the other Hunter decided to attack him. Despite everything they'd been through, he still harbored that small amount of fear of his friend. Heart pounding, he watched as the older Hunter looked at his chest, where the hoodie was torn from his enemy's claws. Lightly, the other Hunter almost touched those wounds, but he quickly jerked his hand away and also averted his gaze. He ended his investigation then, and moved away quickly with another soft snort.

Jake turned a cautious gaze over, watching as the older Hunter crawled back over to his makeshift nest and lay down, curling up rather tightly. Slowly, Jake got back up, and then moved over to the deer carcass he was previously after, never taking his eyes off his friend. The older Hunter made no move to stop him as he experimentally touched a haunch with a claw. He dropped all caution rather quickly after that, and began to tear off a chunk of meat with his claws, turning all attention to the deer. The animal was rather stiff and cold, obviously not fresh, but at this point Jake hardly cared.

After he was finished, he turned his attention back to his friend, who was looking at him. Jake lowered his head a little under the older Hunter's gaze, for some strange reason feeling almost ashamed, though he had no clue why. The older Hunter simply growled a little, before turning over so that his back was facing him.

Jake lifted his head, and after a small moment of hesitation, he began to approach. He half expected the same thing to happen as the first time he'd tried to get close to his friend while down here, why he was even bothering was questionable, but he was cold, and tired.

He bit his lip nervously as his hand met the edge of the cardboard, and he continued forward slowly. The older Hunter didn't start growling, or even acknowledge his presence. Jake took this as a good sign, and took a moment to look over his friend to make sure there weren't any open wounds for him to accidentally brush against. He then lay down beside the older Hunter cautiously, before sliding gradually closer, until he was able to cuddle up against his warm back. The older Hunter only growled lightly in the back of his throat, but it wasn't a threatening sound, just an acknowledgment of sorts. Jake purred back, but his voice was somewhat cracked from all the screaming and running he'd done earlier.

Only now that he was able to relax next to another warm body, did he realize how exhausted he was. It wouldn't be long before he was falling into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

A/N: Okay might as well end this one here. Sorry about the long wait with this chapter, internet and personal issues, you know the drill. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please continue to do so.

Also I rewrote a teeny bit of the first part of chapter 1, I like it better now. Heh.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER VIII**

A shrill, inhuman scream had Jake awakening with a start. When consciousness started to return, he realized two things at once: First was that the scream had just been a figment of his imagination, and second was that his friend had turned over sometime during the night and now had his arms around him. Dawn still hadn't broken, and the moonlight cast everything in the room under an eerie bluish glow.

Jake's heart was still pounding from what he'd woken up from, be it real or not, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel when his friend pulled him closer right up against himself and nuzzled into his neck. Jake had jerked away when he'd first awoken, apparently the older Hunter objected to that action. He even growled softly against the younger Hunter's neck, and lightly dug his claws into his back. Jake whimpered softly as one claw poked a little too hard, but he didn't object further to any of this.

After a moment, he had to admit that being this close to the other Hunter was actually kind of comforting. His heart rate already returned to normal, and the warmth of being held like this was starting to make it hard to keep his eyes open. He slowly slid his arms up, and returned the embrace, softly. Closing his eyes, he pressed just a little closer, beginning to fall back into a calm slumber.

The next day, both of them would leave the basement together for the last time.

(((())))

A very thin layer of snow had fallen the night before, as it could be seen rapidly melting under the warm sunlight. It was midday now, and down a vacant street a very large deer was striding through. It was a buck, as could be plainly told from the set of antlers branching from its brow, if its sheer size wasn't telling enough.

With the absence of humanity, the wildlife population was starting to overrun the city more and more. Such was good news for a certain pair of Hunters who laid claim to this part of town. Like silent shadows, they watched, and waited.

Jake remained watching from upon a low rooftop, unmoving, as he kept his eyes on the prey in the street below. A month and a half had passed, and most of his wounds had healed. The bandages on his arms were much newer looking, and they covered his biceps as well as forearms. Fully recovered, he actually felt somewhat confident even though the buck in his sights was far bigger than anything he'd ever taken down, with help or no. The way the animal held its head high with those horns pointing to the clear sky above was, needless to say, incredibly intimidating. He wouldn't have thought twice about hunting such a beast if he was alone, and his friend hadn't insisted. He couldn't really blame him; that was a lot of meat to pass up right there.

He didn't have to wait around much longer, as he soon saw the dark figure of his friend leap from the rooftop directly across him. He leaped as well, not wasting any time as he went for the throat with his deadly claws. He caught the animal on the side, crashing into it full force almost at exactly the same time the other Hunter did.

The buck made a loud pained noise and was badly shaken, hitting the ground on its knees, though it still managed to keep its hind legs straight. Jake held onto the animal's back, his claws ripping deep into its shoulders as he just barely missed cutting its throat. He didn't have to, though, as the older Hunter found the jugular right when the animal finally reared up, beginning to fight.

Jake realized too late that this was the time to leap away, and he soon became too involved in holding on for dear life to do anything else. His heart was racing adrenaline through his veins, his claws dug deep into the animal's shoulders. The next thing he knew, he was soaring. He twisted in the air, trying to figure out which way was up, before the breath was knocked from him as he hit the pavement hard on his back. For a moment he was too dazed to move. Once his vision stopped shaking, he rolled over and looked in the direction of the buck.

He could see blood shooting from the torn artery on its neck, and the animal was falling down repeatedly now, smearing itself with its own life fluid. The once proud animal now could hardly stand, its mouth open as it tried to breathe harder in a futile attempt at supplying more oxygen to its brain.

Jake pushed himself up slowly, growling softly, he could taste his own blood in his mouth. Quickly he attempted to spit it out; infected blood, even his own, was not at all a good taste. He watched as the other Hunter sprang at the dying deer, only to slam into it shoulder first. He managed to knock the animal off balance, and it hit the ground on its side, kicking its legs at its attacker in one last attempt at retaliation. Of course its attempts were in vain. The Hunter was already a safe distance away, waiting for the animal to finally stop moving.

Moving closer, Jake joined his friend, watching their prey in its death throes. The very second it was safe to get close, the two Hunters' impatience was shown as they both leaped in and began to tear into the animal ferociously.

By the end of the day, all nearby areas to the kill were absolutely covered with blood; viscera and scraps of fur and meat lie randomly on the sidewalk. The carcass lie empty, for its organs had all been torn from the body. Whether they were actually eaten or not was a mystery.

On top of a nearby building, Jake was sitting with his back against the door that led inside, licking the blood from his hands and claws. The other Hunter was nowhere to be found, having left by himself not too long ago. Now that the coldest days of winter were over with, Jake sensed they would start seeing less and less of each other. He didn't mind much; he was more than confident he could take care of himself by now. Just as long as no more fellow Hunters decided to come and attempt to overtake his and his friend's territory again, that is.

Suddenly, he paused what he was doing and turned his head quickly in the direction of the kill. His inhuman eyes flashed in the light of the setting sun, even under the shadow of his hood. There was a long tense silence as he listened, completely unmoving and without a sound. His breathing stopped when he heard it again, and this time there was no mistaking it. Human voices, survivors; the first ones he'd so much as caught a hint of since his first and only human kill many nights ago.

Quickly and quietly he crawled to the edge of the building, furtively peeking down at the street to try to spot them. They were being very quiet, only two whispers he'd heard so far. They knew the danger they were in, that much was certain. He followed the sound of their footsteps, moving to peer down into the alley beside him.

There were five of them. In the dying sunlight, he could just barely see them enough to make out the colors of their clothing. He couldn't tell their genders from here either of course, but it didn't really matter to him; prey was prey. He noted the weapons they carried, or at least tried to. One of them had a shotgun, another had an axe, and he could barely see but he believed that two of them had handguns of some sort at their sides, and the last held a baseball bat.

Already he knew that attacking the entire group at once would be suicide. Nevertheless, there was no way he was going to let this opportunity just pass him by. He had the patience and the means to follow this group for as long as it took, and so, he began to do just that.

The perfect opportunity sprang at night, when one of the survivors decided to get up and wander off from the group. Most of the others were sleeping, this one had been awake, he supposed, to stand guard while the rest slept. The foolish man left the building they'd been staying in, walked a little ways, and then turned to face the wall.

Jake suppressed a loud growl of excitement, as he circled over the couple rooftops to get in the right position. He realized rather abruptly the reason for this survivor's carelessness; apparently he needed to take a piss and didn't want to do it in front of one of the others.

If he hadn't pretty much forgotten the ability to show human emotion, Jake would have been grinning like a maniac right now as he prepared to pounce. Heading back to the door to the building, the man didn't even see it coming.

Slammed up against the wall hard enough that Jake heard something snap, and the gun fell from his hand, the man didn't scream at first. Not until Jake dug his claws in and prepared to throw the man to the ground and rip him apart.

Screaming was bad; it was what alerted the others. Thinking fast, Jake went for the throat with his claws. Soon all that was coming from the survivor's mouth were stomach-turning gurgling sounds. These, Jake could handle. The young Hunter held onto his prey, and began to drag him off into an area where his friends wouldn't be able to interrupt, in case they had heard something of that scuffle.

The man's struggles were weak and only getting weaker. Jake tossed him into the wide open door of an abandoned building just across the street, and finally, leapt upon him.

(((())))

The sunlight was warm, and for once, so was the air outside. Jake lounged idly upon a building, the same one he'd been on when he'd stalked his prey the night before. Still he was covered in blood from his kill, and he didn't mind it one bit. Yawning, he laid his head down on his claws, and continued to watch as the remaining four survivors left their temporary safe haven.

A sense of accomplishment filled him as he watched them, first find the trail of blood, and then follow it with obvious trepidation at what they would find. And what a gruesome sight they would be met with; Jake hadn't spared much of the man. Everything within a ten foot radius had to have been literally painted in blood and viscera.

It wasn't that Jake found pleasure in watching the survivors react to seeing what used to be their friend; rather, it was more that he couldn't at all relate to what they must have been feeling, not anymore. He considered this more of a slap in the face to them, a sign that they were in his territory now, and he was in control. Sure he had sense to avoid attacking the entire group and getting shot, but he was not afraid of them. They were merely playthings.

The moment the group started to move off, he got up to follow them, and he would continue to follow them, continue picking them off, until every last one lie dead in the streets.

* * *

A/N: Very short (albeit gore-filled) chapter I know, but well... it just seemed like the right place to end it right here. Also, yay for that cold-blooded killer spirit we all know and love, eh? Ruthless Hunters are the best kind, imho. Anyway, please review, I thank everyone who already has and continues to do so. It means a lot to me.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER IX**

Night had fallen again, and the survivors had set up camp inside an abandoned building. Jake took to watching in a similar fashion as the night before, stationed on a nearby building as he continued to wait for an opportunity. He was tired, for sure, but he wanted to kill far more than he wanted to sleep.

For the longest time, nothing happened. It was only right as he was starting to doze off that he heard the telltale sound of a door closing and then slightly uneven footsteps. He got up and, placing one clawed hand on the ledge of the building, he peered at the secluded section of alleyway and street below.

There was a person down there, alright; one of the females. His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the way she was walking, staggering slightly, as if sick. Well, at least such an affliction would make her easier to catch.

He felt his excitement rising again as he slowly began to follow alongside her. She went only deeper into the narrower part of the alley, further from her friends, further from anyone who could save her. He could hear her, and only now did he realize that she was sobbing. That could have had something to do with why she was walking so awkwardly; swerving left and right, and nearly tripping over her own feet more than once.

It was near the edge of the alley that she finally stopped; falling to her knees where she continued to cry, her hands covering her face. Grabbing onto the pipe leading down the side of the building, Jake used it to fluidly slide down and land in a crouch in the middle of the alley, not ten feet from her.

She jumped, and spun to look at him, falling backwards, unable to get up on her feet. Her breathing was suddenly harsh, and he heard her whisper something incoherently.

He stood up slowly, growling loudly and staring down at her from underneath his hood as he began to approach. To his surprise she did not try to get up to run, she did not even get out a weapon; she just stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He paused, tilting his head as he observed her, curious. She was trembling violently, she was terrified, and yet…

He snarled suddenly, and mock leaped at her. She screamed and flinched, falling back as she put her arms up as if to protect herself. He growled loudly again, claws twitching.

Too bad; he kind of wanted a chase this time.

Resigning to this, he finally leaped for real. He slammed into her, taking her down hard against the pavement. This time he went for the throat, sinking his sharp teeth deep into the side of her neck. She screamed, so loud it hurt his ears, and she began to fight. She was hitting him, kicking and flailing, but he could hardly feel it.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the taste of her blood as it filled his mouth, and it took him a moment to realize she wasn't screaming anymore. Finally he sat up, still holding her down as she continued to tremble beneath him. He'd caught scent of something on her before, something he could really smell now, and it made him grimace in disgust. It was the strong smell of alcohol.

Realization hit him then. She must have gotten completely drunk before coming out here, that was why she wasn't running, and why she was giving up fighting so quick. Idly he wondered if she didn't have a death wish too. If that was the case, he was more than happy to grant it.

He swiftly slashed his claws across her chest, ripping her shirt and skin together. She cried out, and began weakly attempting to push him off. He reveled in the feeling of her skin tearing beneath his claws, and purred deeply in pleasure.

"Please," She said suddenly, her voice tired and cracked.

He only growled again, lightly running his claws down her chest, to her stomach.

"Just kill me-"

She was cut off, as he turned his hand and shoved his claws deeply into the area just below her ribs. She began to scream again, flailing and trying to hit him. All her movement only aided him in shoving his claws deeper and deeper, until nearly his entire hand was inside her. In an attempt to keep her at least somewhat still, he places his other hand on her torn chest, holding her down. Blood was pouring everywhere, soaking his thighs already, it was much more than he was used to.

The feeling of his hand inside her writhing body was absolutely euphoric, and he shoved it deeper, nearly up into her chest cavity. He gave a long, low growl of pleasure, but it was drowned out by the sound of her screaming in agony. Flexing his fingers, he feels something soft inside of her tear under his claws, and he does it again, and again, liking that feeling as well.

Finally, he roughly tore his hand from her. She jerked, and then went limp beneath him, her head turned, and her eyes wide and unseeing. He could tell she was still alive only by the way she was breathing. Bringing his hand to his mouth, he starts licking it slowly as he gazes down at her. He could see the steam rising from her torn body into the cold night air, and he could feel how hot her blood was, coating his inner thighs as well as his hands.

With a low growl, he slides down a bit, before diving in with his claws, ripping into her stomach violently. He wants to feel more, to feel her flesh rending beneath his claws until he can't destroy anymore. She jerks again, harshly, and her fighting becomes only slightly more frantic as he finally starts tearing her open mercilessly, ripping her intestines from her body. He stops momentarily to grab and bite into her arm, taking a huge chunk out of it. Her arm falls limply to the ground after he lets it go, and he continues to tear into her long after she's finally dead, eating whatever he can.

It was more than apparent how starving he was. By the time he left the body, both her arms were nearly stripped bare. He was never much for eating internal organs, as could be plainly seen by the way they were strewn about the alley like ornaments now.

Leaving behind a trail of bloody foot and hand prints, he climbed back up onto the building he'd first come down from and sat with his back against the ledge. He then began grooming himself as he usually did after a kill. He was not expecting the low growl that sounded in front of him, and he jumped in shock as he saw the dark figure of another Hunter approaching him.

Normally, he wouldn't have been so shaken by a situation such as this, but he had never been as taken off guard as he was now. It was a jarring experience, going from the feared beast to the one who should be afraid in less than five seconds.

The other Hunter stopped a couple feet away, and then gave another low growl. A tangible wave of relief spread over Jake as he realized abruptly that this wasn't an enemy; it was his friend. He growled softly in response, and was about to continue licking off his claws, when his wrist was roughly grabbed by the other Hunter.

He looked up at him, his eyes wide with renewed fear as his hand was pulled, nearly sending him toppling forward into the other infected. The older Hunter sniffed at his claws, before giving them a small lick. Jake flinched, half expecting to be bitten, and he was only further discomfited as the older Hunter suddenly slid up extremely close to him.

Jake could feel the other infected's breath against his lips as he gave a truly terrifying snarl, and he turned his face away quickly. Regaining a little bit of his composure, Jake snarled back, warningly, and attempted to tear his hand from the other Hunter's grip.

The older Hunter only gripped him tighter, making him squeak softly in pain, before leaning down and placing a long, hot lick up the side of his neck. He gasped loudly, more from fear at possibly having his throat torn open than from the feeling the action gave him. Eyes wide, he doesn't dare move or fight back again. After a long moment of feeling the older Hunter's hot breath against the side of his neck, Jake is able to relax again as the other Hunter pulls away swiftly, letting him go.

Breathing a lot more shallowly than before, Jake watches the older Hunter as he moves to the edge of the building and peers down into the alley. With a deep growl, he glances over at Jake, before looking back down. He might have been mistaken, but Jake thought he saw a small smirk on the older Hunter's face, just before he leaped down into the street gracefully.

With a soft growl of annoyance, Jake slowly goes back to grooming himself as he'd been before he was interrupted. He figured his friend would be joining him now, which should make things a lot easier from now on.

((()))

It was midday, and clouds had obscured the sky in what looked like the first coming of rain rather than snow in quite some time. Jake and his friend were waiting on a nearby building as the remaining three survivors finished up raiding a small convenience store.

Jake was lying on his back, arms outstretched as he stared at the overcast sky, and the other Hunter was watching the building their prey had entered intently. Jake had grown tired of waiting about five minutes ago, and decided to let his friend do the sentry work from now on. Not to mention, he was very tired after not getting any sleep the night before.

With a bored noise, he slowly lifted his hand, reaching up toward the sky. He watched his two-inch-long claws as he flexed his fingers, falling into a sort of trance as he started to daydream about what his next kill was going to be like. He turned his hand slowly, though now he was staring more at the sky than it.

Hearing the faint sound of voices and footsteps, he quickly snaps out of his sleepy stupor and jumps up to join his friend peering over the edge of the building. He caught sight of the survivors leaving the store, their backpacks full, and he was somewhat curious of the small coil of a rope-like material one was carrying out with him.

He glances at the other Hunter beside him, as if in question, but the older infected doesn't acknowledge him; he just moves to continue following their prey. Jake follows his lead without further inquisition. He could feel the rain as it began to fall already, odd drops landing on his hands and shoulders as he went; the drops were strangely warm.

Only about fifteen blocks more they would travel, before the survivors decided to seek shelter inside a small windowless shack that resided besides a building. For good reason, too; it was starting to rain rather hard now. Jake growled in annoyance as he watched their prey disappear from sight, closing the door, and thus ending any further chances of being caught.

After another second of glaring at the door from a distance, his friend gave him a nudge to get his attention. With a snort, he turns his gaze to the older Hunter and sees that the other infected is already crawling off toward the greenhouse that resided upon this building. The door was wide open, practically inviting them in. Jake quickly turns to follow him, suddenly eager to get out of the rain, too.

All the plants inside were long dead and dried, the vines snaking up the glass walls and ceiling were browning and rotted. The whole place smelled of rotting vegetation, but it definitely provided a nice warm place away from the rain.

Jake watched as his friend curled up near the back upon a few torn bags of soil, and without really thinking about it, moved to join him there. His friend didn't have any objections to this. Lying with his back against the other Hunter's, Jake stared out the open door of the greenhouse at the rain pounding against the rooftop for a long time. The sight and sound was like a lullaby.

He didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until he was awakening to the sound of angry voices echoing in the street outside.

He sat up, noticing his friend was still fast asleep behind him. Deciding against waking him, Jake carefully got up and crawled from their temporary shelter. The rain had slowed considerably, but still continued to fall at a steady rate. He didn't take much notice of that, as he moved to peer off the edge of the building at the ruckus below.

Sure enough, the three of them were arguing loudly in the street. One seemed to be being singled out, one of the last two males. He couldn't understand a word that was being said, and he didn't really care about what they were saying anyway; if this fight had the potential of breaking them up, even for a second…

He growled in growing excitement. This seemed more than a little promising.

With a couple final words, the male survivor being singled out finally turned and started to walk away, into a nearby alley. His comrades yelled at him more, to which he did not respond. Jake began to follow alongside the man only after making sure his friends weren't going to follow.

The survivor paused in the middle of the alley, and began looking around, as if paranoid. Maybe he was rethinking his decision to walk away from the group? Jake growled again, there was no way he was letting this one get away. Not even bothering to look for an easy way to get down, he simply leaped down into the alley, blocking the man's escape route.

His feet splashed loudly in a small puddle he didn't bother to avoid, alerting his prey. The man spun, and his eyes went wide as he caught sight of the predator now blocking his path. Jake stood up and watched as the survivor turned and began to run. With a sharp snarl, Jake took off after him, preparing to drop on all fours in a moment and leap onto the survivor's back to take him down and then swiftly silence him. He was overjoyed; finally, he had himself a good chase.

Barely a second in, he felt a sharp pull on his left leg that sent him pitching forward to land face-first on the wet pavement. He hissed in pain and annoyance, and immediately attempted to push himself back up. Something was caught around his ankle, hindering his movements, but it didn't stop him from getting back up on his feet. He looked down to see that there was a cord wrapped around his ankle and attached to the heavy dumpster beside him. He tried to move, pulling at the cord, but it only got tighter.

Sensing movement, Jake turned sharply and saw what was previously his prey standing a couple yards away with a pistol aimed directly at him. He snarled and mock-attacked, tugging hard at the short rope around his ankle as he tried to appear threatening. The survivor was unfazed, he didn't even so much as flinch. Jake knew he wasn't going to be able to run from this, he sensed danger stronger than he ever had before, but he refused to cower before anything he considered to be prey.

He lunged and swiped at the survivor, not so much trying to hit him as he was trying to scare him, to get him to react. If he was going to be attacked, Jake wanted it to happen now; all this waiting around while rendered immobile was really starting to get on his nerves. He was about to screech, when suddenly his world was spun upside down and he was lying on the ground in a world of agony.

He'd been struck so hard in the back of the head that his vision had went momentarily dark, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what was happening as he continued to feel the pain of repeated strikes on his side, arm, and leg. Each one made him jolt and cry out, twisting and clawing at the air as he struggled to fight back against whatever horrible thing was bombarding him.

Once he was on his back and his vision cleared, he realized it was a person attacking him; a human with a very big stick that made an odd ringing metallic sound every time it struck his body. In reflex, he put his arms up to protect his head, realizing that fighting wasn't an option at this point. The blows landed on his arms and body, each one a spike of white hot agony as they fell upon his ribs. The attack only grew more and more violent, more vigorous, he could even hear the human attacking him screaming things at him, but he couldn't bring himself to try to understand what was being said.

More horrible than the pain was the alien feeling of sheer helplessness. There was no running from this, and there was no fighting it either. For the first time, he could do absolutely nothing.

There was a scream, he was sure he heard it; the bone-chilling Hunter's screech. For a second he believed it had been his own, but he remembered that he couldn't make a sound right now. The jolts stopped; suddenly the attack on him was over. His eyes snapped open and he looked to see the survivor that had been attacking him was now on the ground, his throat torn wide by the Hunter that had tackled him.

Jake noticed the third survivor was here, and she had her own weapon with her, the shotgun. She aimed it at the Hunter, and just as he was leaping up to attack her too, there was a sound like a bomb going off. Jake watched with wide eyes as his friend staggered backward, and he forgot completely about the rope around his ankle as he lunged at the survivor with a screech of his own. She aimed the gun for him, but the other Hunter wasn't down yet. He leaped at her and tore at her with a ferocity admirable for a creature that had just taken a shotgun blast straight to the chest.

Jake looked back at the rope around his ankle, and with a snarl, he attacked it with his claws. Much slower than he would have liked, the twine began to fray and snap, until finally it came away completely. While he was doing this, he heard his friend get up and attack the final survivor as well. There were four gunshots, and then the sound of fleeing footfalls. Jake looked just in time to see his friend stagger and fall; the last survivor had run from the scene before he could be killed, but not before he could get a few last shots in.

Jake pushed himself off the ground, wincing from the sharp pain in his ribs, before he ran over to where his friend was lying. He didn't care about the last survivor now; he'd track him down and deal with him later. Right now, he needed to help his friend.

He felt like a sharp spike was slowly driving its way into his heart as he looked at the condition the other Hunter was in; lying there, breathing raggedly and sounding every bit like he was drowning. Jake knew he had to get his friend out of here now, away from the rain at the very least. He didn't care if he was going to be reprimanded for his actions, if his friend even had the energy to fight him off at this point.

He got down and tried to get the other Hunter to stand, tried to pick him up, anything. There was a large hole in the side of the building behind them where something huge had slammed into it, and Jake targeted it as he attempted to drag his friend in that direction. The older Hunter only growled weakly, and to Jake's surprise, actually tried to cooperate with him in moving into that makeshift shelter.

They stopped right when they entered the building, Jake being unable to carry the older Hunter anymore and the older Hunter being unable to stand on his own. He collapsed upon a pile of trash, and Jake gazed down at him, staring at the bleeding wounds in his chest and arm.

Jake got down beside the older Hunter, unsure how to react or what to do; he had never seen his friend in such a state. This was worse than anything he could have imagined.

He was broken out of his shocked reverie as his friend reached for him. He immediately got down lower, sliding himself just a little bit closer. He moved his own hand forward and placed it upon the other Hunter's once it drew near. He could feel how deathly cold his skin was, a stark contrast to the warmth he usually held. With a soft growl, Jake carefully cuddled closer, feeling the urge to help keep his friend warm as he usually did in such a situation.

The older Hunter didn't object to this, rather, he reached out again and tried to pull Jake closer. He knew his friend had to have been in a lot of pain, which is why it surprised Jake somewhat when he insisted they press up against each other like they usually did when conserving warmth. He could feel the other infected shivering softly, and he could feel the rapidly cooling blood soaking into his clothing, but he only closed his eyes and nuzzled into the other Hunter's neck.

He would help his friend get better, just like before. That's what he believed.

* * *

A/N: Nothing much to say except I've been horribly sick lately, and was sick while writing the last bit and writing this actually. Taking antibiotics now, hah... Feeling woozy. But enough about that. Reviews appreciated as always. Many thanks for showing your support. You guys are awesome.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER X**

When Jake would awaken from his slumber, he would find that the once warm body beside him had grown cold. The blood and rainwater that had covered him was freezing as well, and it caused him to shiver harshly where he lay. He clutched onto the older Hunter a bit tighter, shivering, but for the first time, he felt no warmth from the other's body. He then realized he could no longer hear his friend's labored breathing, either.

Bewildered, Jake let go of the other Hunter, and sat up to look down at him.

Realization came slowly, and with it came a feeling Jake didn't know existed. It was akin to having something shove its hand into his chest and stab its talons deep into his heart. He hissed softly and clutched at his chest, having to avert his eyes or the pain would only continue. His eyes began to burn and his vision blurred as his eyes began to water, he didn't understand what was happening to him.

He got up and staggered almost drunkenly from the building, wanting suddenly nothing more than to just get away. He didn't get very far, as he fell against the building opposite and sat there for the longest time, just staring at nothing.

Slowly his gaze fell to the person lying dead not far from him. The man still had his backpack on, and coiled on the side of it was more of the same rope that had been used to ensnare him the night before. An idea began to form in the Hunter's mind as he remembered there was still a survivor out there.

His inhuman eyes darkened with something truly evil, as he pushed himself off the wall, and walked down the alley in the direction he'd seen said survivor run.

The rest of the day and night would be spent tracking down that man, and nothing more. The determination and hatred that Jake felt now was more powerful and more focused than anything he'd ever felt before. Nothing could deter him from his goal, not even hunger, or the cold rain that fell from the unforgiving sky.

He would find his target only when the sun was just below the horizon, and twilight was ending. The man had wandered rather far for a lone survivor, but that could have been due to the fact that there weren't many infected around to attack him. Jake and his friend had pretty much wholly taken over this part of town. How long that was going to last now that his friend wasn't going to be around anymore, he didn't know.

But that didn't matter now.

The lone survivor was sitting inside the shelter of an entryway to a building. He didn't appear to have his guard up as he should have; he was just lying there on his side, curled in the fetal position. Jake watched him for a while from the vantage point of a rather large window that belonged to a second floor apartment.

He looked behind himself at the room. It was completely bare aside from the garbage scattered everywhere. There was no carpet on the dirty wood floor, or any dusty old furniture that he was so used to seeing in places like this. It was obvious the place was abandoned even before the infection spread. Slowly, ideas began to form in his mind as he looked over the place.

It would be a few minutes longer before he leaped down into the wet street below, and began to approach his prey without fear or indecision. The man didn't even notice him until he was underneath the entryway's sheltering roof as well, standing not eight feet away. The Hunter saw as his prey looked up, and he watched as the fear entered his eyes. He knew then that the man must have lost his weapon; otherwise he would be seeing it now.

His prey sat up and backed away, pressing his back to the corner. Jake felt no pity as he saw the way the man cowered before him, he was on a mission and still, nothing was going to stop him.

"Please, don't hurt me," The survivor said, the desperation in his tone was obvious.

The Hunter only bared his teeth in an animalistic snarl as he slowly approached.

"Y-you're just sick, I can help you," The survivor continued.

Jake hissed deeply, and without warning, he grabbed the man by the shirt and, with little effort, pulled him down and then slammed him face first onto the pavement. The survivor began to struggle, saying a few more useless things before the Hunter grabbed the back of his head and slammed it repeatedly against the sidewalk. There was a growing pool of blood underneath them now, and the Hunter bared his teeth at the sight and smell of it. Abruptly he realized his hunger, and a loud growl rose in his throat as he smashed the survivor's head against the pavement one last time, and just held him there.

All struggling had ceased, but Jake could tell that the survivor was at least semi-conscious. With a sharp snarl, he suddenly stood and began to drag his prey along with him back toward the apartment building. He wanted a secluded area where he wouldn't be interrupted, no matter what the odds were of that actually happening.

It took a bit of effort to carry the man up into that room, and Jake threw him down immediately after entering through the window. The survivor rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl away, and in response, Jake leaped forth and slammed the man down hard, successfully ending his pathetic attempt at escape. The survivor screamed in agony as the Hunter's claws stabbed deeper and deeper into his shoulders. Blood was still pouring from his nose, and the smell of it was making the Hunter's mouth water.

Never before had Jake taken so much pleasure in hearing something scream. He flexed his fingers just to hear it again, until the survivor's throat cracked under the strain. He sneered as he finally tore his claws from the man's body, and without giving the survivor more than a second to catch his breath, he grabbed him by the hair and wrenched his head back so far that his chest partially left the floor.

For a while, the Hunter just watched as the man struggled to breathe without inhaling his own blood. He narrowed his eyes a bit as the survivor tried to speak to him again, begging him to stop. Jake was just happy to know that his prey wasn't giving up yet; the night was still young, after all.

He released the man's hair, which allowed his head to fall back against the hard wood floor with a loud, painful 'thud'. The Hunter then dug his claws in and tore from the man's shoulder blades to the small of his back in one violent movement. Jake purred in delight at the sound of his prey's pained cry, and watched as the blood welled up and soaked into his shredded light blue shirt. He ran his hand over it, smearing the dark fluid over his skin and the fabric.

After a few moments of this, the Hunter got off of his prey to flip him over onto his back. Blood-loss and pain had weakened the man, but he still struggled slightly and tried to fight as Jake tore his shirt open to expose his torso. It wasn't difficult to slash the man's wrist and snap his tendon as he tried to fight back; this was effective enough in getting him to stop squirming for a while.

It was then that Jake went for the face. He plunged his thumbs deep into the man's eye sockets, his claws piercing into and effectively destroying the soft tissue that resided inside. Blood welled up and poured out, and the man began to struggle, grabbing hold of the Hunter's arm and pulling at it desperately. Jake only gritted his teeth and hissed in pleasure, listening to the man's screams of pain.

Still with his thumbs buried deep into the man's eye sockets, he gripped the survivor's head and slammed it once against the floor, knocking the sense from him momentarily. He then tore his hands away quickly, and heard the blood splatter against the floor as he raised them, just before he slammed his fists into the survivor's face.

The man now lay still beneath the Hunter, but he wasn't dead. For a long time Jake simply sat straddling his prey, staring down at him, and the only sound in the room was his own heavy breathing, and the soft pattering of rain outside.

As his breathing calmed, the silence began to consume him. He growled softly in the back of his throat, and tipped the survivor's head to the side with a claw to stare at his vulnerable neck. He was on the verge of ending this now, just to feed the hunger burning in his stomach. He licked the blood from his own lips, feeling slightly dizzy as he tried to resist.

This feeling was something he didn't understand. He'd never wanted to prolong a kill like this. His instincts demanded he finish this, and yet his sudden and desperate desolation drove him to draw it out, if only to appease the loneliness that had already developed. He had no one now, except this, one of the creatures he was programmed to kill and feed upon.

It took a while, but eventually he managed to wake the man up again, and the torment began anew. Blind and in pain, the survivor was even more frantic than Jake expected him to be when consciousness returned. He screamed and flailed, but even so, the Hunter delighted in keeping him down and cutting him up even more in the process.

The struggle didn't last long. Even after the Hunter tore open the man's stomach, there was no more fighting back, and his cries were soft and weak. Jake worked with a sadistic fervor; hitting any sensitive area he could that would make the man react. He desperately needed the response, no matter how feeble it happened to be.

Hours passed but it didn't feel like that long to the Hunter, who was now stabbing his claws into his prey's eye sockets again in an attempt to get him to move. The survivor had stopped responding just seconds before, and now, back in the wretched silence, Jake realized that the sun had already begun to rise outside. Finally, he allowed himself to eat, ripping off chunks of flesh ravenously. His little feeding frenzy didn't last long though; he couldn't seem to hold onto much of an appetite.

Afterward, he'd leave, climbing to the top of the building to look out at the city. Perching beside a small gryphon-like gargoyle, he gazed at the new day, watching as the colors of the sunrise began to appear.

The sight absolutely sickened him.

With a sneer, he turned and headed off, intent on finding something else to kill before he decided to nap for a while.

((()))

The full moon rode high in the sky, illuminating the city and making it more than easy for Jake to focus on his prey in the street below. As he stared at the herd of deer down there, all he could think about was how he wished his friend was still alive to join him in the kill again. How he missed that feeling…

It had been close to two weeks, and Jake still thought about his old friend nearly every day, usually fleeting thoughts such as this, but however fleeting, they always incited the same response in him: kill and maim any living thing in sight, it usually tended to lessen the pain of his grief and loneliness at least for a little while.

Suddenly, he lunged forth, arms outstretched as he fell from the sky, claws extended for the one he'd selected. Distress cries, the sound of hooves as the herd fled, and of course, the sound of blood splattering the pavement and the deafening Hunter's screech split the air of what used to be a silent, peaceful night.

Jake didn't stop at one. He sprang after the herd, landing on the back of a fawn, snapping its back before he went after the rest. He'd grown so agile, he suffered almost no injuries whatsoever after successfully taking down two more healthy adults and leaving them bleeding to death in the street with torn throats. The rest managed to escape after the herd split in random directions; the Hunter wasn't _that_ determined to have them all.

He turned around and headed back, just in time to see the last deer he'd caught falling to the sidewalk, blood still spraying from the torn artery in its neck while it struggled to get back on its feet. He raised his lip a bit at the sight, and passed it by. He ignored the fawn and the other adult as well, heading back for the buck he'd taken down first; that was the one he really wanted.

That's when a very unexpected sight greeted him. There was a small figure crouched over his kill; another Hunter! He wasted no time, dropping on all fours as he took off running at the intruder. The newcomer looked up quickly, and Jake saw its dark, frightened eyes just before he slammed into the much smaller figure and they went tumbling in the street.

Jake landed on all fours and turned swiftly to face the newcomer, snarling loudly as he slowly approached its prostrated form. Before it could get up, Jake grabbed it by the shoulders and pinned it face first against the pavement. He realized now just how small this Hunter was, probably more than a foot shorter than him, and much skinnier. He heard its high pitched whimper, and it squirmed in pain as his claws dug into its flesh.

Even with these observations, Jake still found that there was something much different about this Hunter than the others he'd encountered so far. Now more curious than angry, he dislodged his claws and ran his hand down its back, observing its dark green hoodie with curiosity. After a moment, he got up a bit and forcefully flipped the young one over, causing yet another short distressed cry.

As he stared down at it, he realized then what was so different about this Hunter: it was a female, and a very young one at that. Or maybe she was just naturally quite small; he really had no way of telling. As he looked down at her frightened face, though, he felt his anger all but disappear.

Slowly, he got off of her, and allowed her to squirm away and run off. She stopped a short distance away and looked back at him, her head tilted slightly as if curious. He lowered his head a bit, and then turned to return to his kill, pretending to ignore her presence as he tore into the animal's haunch with his claws.

He continued to ignore her, as he sensed her approach. She moved so cautiously and slowly it actually started to annoy him a bit. He looked at her; she was only about four feet away, and she stopped dead in her tracks when their gazes met. He simply looked away and went back to picking at his kill.

This seemed to give her more courage, and she crawled over the rest of the way. He watched her out the corner of his eye as she experimentally pressed her hands against the animal's neck, and when he made no move to reprimand her, she finally started to tear into the carcass as well.

He wondered how such a tiny thing managed to survive out here, lurking on the edge of his territory like this. A part of him wondered, too, if his friend had known about her. She didn't look like she was recently infected by any means.

Whatever the case was, it felt good to not be alone anymore.

* * *

A/N: Wow I don't think it's ever taken me this long to update on this story, sorry guys. Heh, had a busy couple ... months, with camping, the fair, and all sorts of other stuff that I'm sure none of you are extremely interested in. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, we still have a little ways to go before the end, so hang in there.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER XI**

The sun was well below the horizon, making now the perfect time to be out. The summer heat was really starting to show, and because of this, Jake had long since decided being awake and about in the daytime was not something he was willing to do anymore.

He was patrolling the edge of his territory again, keeping an eye out for prey or danger. He'd been extra vigilant these days, now that he was pretty much on his own; the little Hunter pup he'd met didn't exactly count as good protection.

From the street he leaped onto a parked car, and then proceeded to slowly scan the area with his eyes. He froze as he spotted movement ahead. It became immediately apparent that it was a dog, a big black one, and it was coming down the street right toward him. He lifted a lip in a snarl, but did not move from his perch. It seemed he'd be having an easy breakfast tonight.

The animal only stopped when it finally spotted him, and by then it was barely ten feet away. It began to bark, and Jake snarled loudly in response to the irritating sound. He readied to pounce, lowering his body to the roof of the car, but that's when he heard a shrill screech that took him completely by surprise.

He immediately sat up straight, and watched as none other than the little female Hunter came flying from an unknown hiding place, right at the dog. The canine was soon sent toppling with her, and he watched as she began shredding the animal with her claws mercilessly. The dog struggled and screamed in agony, and Jake could only watch the scene with growing amazement.

Never had he seen the little Hunter attack an animal by herself like this; always she would seek him out, and more often than not, share his kills. This was new.

Suddenly, the dog broke free, screeching in pain and terror the whole time as it tried to run in the opposite direction. Its belly was torn wide, loops of intestine falling out to be dragged across the pavement. Jake snarled and leaped, crashing into the injured canine before his little friend could reclaim it. He snapped the dog's spine, ending its life and the annoying sounds emitting from its mangled maw immediately.

He lifted his head and turned his gaze to the little Hunter now standing only about three feet away. She hesitated for only a second, before she recognized him and bounded over with a happy purr. After a brief greeting, they set to work tearing into the carcass together.

Not even a minute in, Jake paused, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He looked around, suddenly feeling like he was being watched. Looking over at the Hunter pup beside him, he saw she was still eating, blissfully unaware of anything that might have been amiss. It took a moment, but eventually hunger won out and he moved to continue eating as well.

((()))

The night was ending now, as could be plainly seen by the increasing light from the eastern part of the sky. Down in the dark cold basement of a storage building, Jake lie curled on a nest made from torn coats and flattened boxes in the corner, hidden from the heat of the day he knew would arrive.

He was alone, like he always was now. More than once he would long for the presence of his old friend, like now, as he struggled to keep warm. He knew it was worth it to be cold now rather than suffering through the heat later, so he wasn't going to try to find somewhere warmer.

Shivering softly, he curled even closer to one of the coats that made up his nest, closing his eyes tightly as he felt again that despair he'd gotten so used to these past few days. Even with his new acquaintance, he was still desperately lonely. Or maybe he just missed his old friend. It was hard to tell the difference; he'd never felt anything like it before.

A soft whimper escaped him, and over that tiny sound, he heard something moving about in the storage space near the place he'd gone through to get into this basement. Instantly he sobered up, and moved to press his back against the wall. He peered in the direction he heard the sound, wide-eyed as he tried to see through the darkness and pick out shadows in an attempt to decipher which one happened to be moving.

A low growl rose in his throat as he finally spotted something small moving in front of the shelf he'd made his nest behind. The shadow stopped, and he heard a very soft purr in response. Immediately he calmed down, recognizing that voice. He watched as his new friend crawled around the shelf, and peered in at him curiously.

He wasn't expecting it when she approached him, crawling up on his nest with him. He tilted his head a bit, watching her, and she met his ominous stare with a completely unconcerned one. Tilting her head down a bit, her face was mostly hidden in the shadow of her oversized hood as she got down and inched closer to him.

At first he shifted back away from her, and gave a short, low growl. She immediately halted her movements and turned her gaze up at him, fearful of reprimand. Jake would only stare for a moment longer, silent and unsure. When he did not growl or swipe at her, she resumed her approach. With only a couple inches to go, it wasn't long before she was pressing her face against his stomach, nuzzling up to his chest.

Jake tensed, and his inhuman eyes were wide as he watched her. He felt her little hand on his side, and it took him a moment to realize she was trying to get him to lie back down. With a soft grunt, he did what she wanted, his movements stiff and tentative. She went down with him, and cuddled up against him close, her arms curled up against her chest.

Slowly, he placed his hand on her hip, resting his chin on her hooded head as he stared off into the gloom of the basement. The strangeness of being this close to another was quick to fade, and the recurring pang of loneliness caused him to slide his hand to her back and pull her closer. She gave a soft whimper in response, and nuzzled up into his neck.

He closed his eyes and gave a soft sigh, feeling the fatigue start to take hold again. He sensed her fall asleep some time before he finally did, though, the shallow slumber wouldn't last long for either of them.

Jake awoke to the startlingly loud sound of his own enraged growl, and the feeling of the little Hunter pup still snuggled with him squirming a bit in fear. Right away he remembered he had dreamt about his old friend, and it hadn't been a good one.

The anger and sadness welled up anew, mixing with the haze of exhaustion that shrouded his being like a thick blanket. He dug his claws into the little Hunter, causing her to cry out sharply in alarm and begin trying to squirm away with heightened desperation. He snarled louder and hugged her so tightly against himself he actually cut off her breathing for a moment.

When he loosened his grip, she didn't try to escape again. He could hear her heightened breathing, and feel how tense she was, she was still afraid. He continued to hold her, growling softly, though his voice cracked and he felt his eyes start to burn, his vision blurring as they welled up with tears. This had happened only once before, and now he began to wonder if he'd been injured somehow, or if something had gotten in his eyes to make them do this. He did not once think to connect it with the pain in his heart.

His body began to shake softly, and the tears didn't stop this time. He held onto the little Hunter tightly, nuzzling into the top of her head, eyes squeezed tightly shut as if in pain. His breathing became ragged as this continued, and he kept holding onto the Hunter pup he was now practically holding hostage. He didn't want to be alone, not now, he couldn't let her go.

The little Hunter clutched onto him, and he could feel her claws' sharp little points against his skin every time she skimmed over one of the many holes in his hoodie. She purred softly, sometimes insistently, but all he could do was shudder and hold onto her tighter. It would take some time, but eventually exhaustion would overcome him and he'd fall asleep once again, this time into a dreamless respite.

When he awoke again, this time after a proper amount of sleep, he found her still cuddled with him. The darkness down here was so thick that he couldn't see a single thing, but he could still feel her, warm and soft beside him. He kept his eyes closed, as he gently ran his hand over her head, pushing her hood back slightly, feeling her blood and dirt matted hair under his thumb. He growled so low and deep in his chest that the sound more resembled that of rolling thunder; his own purr, of sorts.

The Hunter pup jerked awake with a soft squeak, tense, until she realized what she was hearing was an amicable sound. She then clutched onto his hoodie and pulled herself against him, giving a small purr in response.

After a minute or two more of this, Jake decided it was time to get up, and get some breakfast. The Hunter pup was quick to follow him, and they both exited through the wide open doors that led up into the alley.

The night was warm and the pavement was still hot beneath his feet, but above all, Jake caught a scent in the air that gave him abrupt pause. It was the distinct smell of another predator; rotting blood, mixed with something else he couldn't quite place.

He began to growl, and he sensed the pup behind him back up, almost retreating back into the safety of the basement. She gave a soft whimper, but he ignored her as he got down on all fours and crawled out toward the street.

Right away, he spotted the torn and badly mangled carcass of a deer lying in the middle of the street. All around it were blood splatters and pieces of flesh that had been torn violently from the body, and upon closer inspection, Jake saw bloody feet and handprints all over the area.

He knew what this meant; another pack of Hunters had invaded. He didn't know how many were there, but even just two would have been too much for him to handle alone. As he thought deeply on this, he noticed movement, and looked to see his little Hunter friend crawling forth to investigate the deer carcass.

At first he didn't take much notice, until she actually began attempting to pick leftover meat from the thing. For some reason, this sight angered him; scavenging off of what an invading pack had killed? It only proved further that he and his pathetic excuse for a pack was being kicked out of this territory, and worse, that they were accepting it.

Jake snarled loudly, and the Hunter pup leaped back with a startled cry as he mock charged at her. She looked up at him fearfully, and he only stared down at her with a disapproving glare. He then turned and moved off to begin his own hunt. Reluctantly, she followed him.

* * *

A/N: Sorry again guys, for the long wait. Been really busy, finishing up the summer. Honestly can't wait to finish this story, just to have at least one big, finished project around. I know a lot of you are upset about the plot direction, but I hope the ending will be satisfying anyway, for those of you who actually stick around, heh. Thanks to those who have stuck by and continue to review, it really makes me happy that you do so.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER XII**

Two days had passed, and now, Jake was resting on an abandoned van, chewing on the severed leg of his most recent kill. Beside him, the Hunter pup was trying in vain to steal said leg away from him, pawing at the air and attempting to hook it with her claws. Every time, he would easily pull it from her reach, giving a low growl of annoyance. She had no reason to be trying to take his share; there was still plenty of meat left on the carcass, which was lying just on the sidewalk behind them.

Finally he looked down at her, his stern expression giving her immediate pause. She stared up at him with wide, somewhat frightened eyes; he'd never hurt her since they'd allied, even though he did threaten quite a bit when her playfulness got on his nerves, like now, but even so she still took his threats very seriously.

The moment was interrupted as Jake felt a sharp chill run down his spine. He looked up toward the rooftops, once again sensing eyes on him like he had off and on for the past couple of days. He felt the leg in his hand being tugged on, but this time he let his little Hunter friend have it. Never once did he take his eyes from the buildings above, each second that passed caused his mysterious fear to intensify.

Suddenly, movement caught his eye. Just across him, from one rooftop to the next, two very distinct shadows flew.

_Hunters._

He should have known it wasn't just useless paranoia that had been plaguing him for this long. He turned to his little Hunter pup, but before he could signal her to flee, he was suddenly slammed into from behind. There was pain, and a feeling of weightlessness, just before he hit the ground so hard his vision went momentarily black.

He tried to force himself back to his senses, at the same time lashing out at his attacker; nothing but a dark shadow looming over him. He couldn't really feel the pain as his enemy's claws cut into his flesh, and the smell of infected blood filled the air so strongly, a brief flashback of the last time he'd fought another Hunter hit him hard.

His own claws tore at the one on top of him, as he tried to go for the throat, but missed repeatedly, instead hitting the arms and shoulders. It was then he heard a shrill screech, and knew immediately it had come from his pup. Suddenly, his attacker reared up and backed away from him with an enraged roar, fighting with something else now.

Jake got up, able to see in the darkness the shadow of the larger Hunter, and his pup on its back. It wasn't long before the larger Hunter grabbed hold of the pup, tearing her violently from himself, before slamming her hard into the pavement below him.

The sight caused a fresh wave of rage and adrenaline to flood through Jake's veins, and he gave an enraged screech, leaping for the larger infected. He wasn't expecting to be intercepted, and then ganged up on by two other Hunters at the same time.

He was thrown to the ground, but he rolled and lashed out, looking much like an enraged cat that had taken a little too much abuse. A shrill scream of pain split the air, only to be cut off abruptly. Jake tried to tear through the two new enemies, to get to his friend, but they managed to keep him at bay, leaving him torn and bleeding.

When he finally managed to get around them, to see what was happening beside the car, he saw the larger Hunter holding the little squirming pup by the throat. He saw it bring its claws across her stomach, even heard the blood splatter on the pavement over the sound of the other enemy's loud, blood-thirsty growls. With one last mighty burst of energy, he leaped straight over the two other Hunter's heads, narrowly missing their outstretched claws, to slam heavily into the unsuspecting first attacker's back.

They rolled, the enemy screeched in rage, they were both suddenly covered in blood, and Jake wrapped his hands around the larger Hunter's throat, digging his claws in like he had so many times before. They both thrashed so violently in the street, the two other Hunters didn't even attempt to get close enough to help out. They just watched, muscles tense, waiting.

It wasn't long before the larger Hunter was silenced, one thumb claw wedged firmly in his esophagus, but he still continued to thrash while Jake struggled to stay out of the way of his lashing claws. At some point he managed to swing around, ripping open the larger Hunter's throat, before springing away, landing beside the van he'd been perched on before he was attacked.

While the larger Hunter clutched at his throat and struggled to breathe, Jake looked to the little body lying nearby. The pup's belly was torn open; he could see a small coil of intestine that lay partially on the cold, dark asphalt. She wasn't moving.

He felt something inside himself break, and in its wake, it left a cold, dark emptiness. He looked slowly up at the last two Hunters, who were now staring in horror at what must have been their leader, dying in the street. They looked back at him, and then they began to snarl.

He knew he had to run, or he was going to die here, just like his friend had.

_Died trying to protect him … just like…_

One of the Hunters screeched, and Jake immediately turned to run, as far and as fast as he possibly could. He didn't care about the pain and the blood from his own wounds that kept hitting the pavement with every, harsh movement, he didn't care that he was probably going to collapse from exhaustion before he could escape in one piece, he didn't care.

It would be morning before he finally stopped his desperate flight. He'd followed the road to the edge of the city, until the buildings stopped and the seemingly endless expanse of plains began. He would continue on, down the single expanse of road, until he found a broken down farm house in which to take shelter from the heat of the oncoming day.

Against all odds, he fell asleep without effort and didn't wake up once until nightfall. His dreams, however, were less than peaceful. When he awoke, he saw the dying light seeping in through the dusty windows to the room he'd taken shelter in, and for the first time, he didn't feel like he could move. It wasn't that he was tired, or even lazy, it was that he couldn't find the will to do anything at all.

His wounds still ached, and they were everywhere; his back was bruised from being slammed against the pavement repeatedly, and his chest, arms and even neck had been nicked by unforgiving claws. His hoodie was now so badly torn that one could see more than a hint of the numerous scars he had all over his torso, some crisscrossed by new wounds that had long since stopped bleeding and were already starting to heal.

Inside him, that cold emptiness stole his strength and his will, rendering him still and without purpose. In a way, it was worse than the desolation. It would be well after dark before he finally found the will to get up, and leave the farmhouse. He'd continue on his way down the single expanse of road, with the moonlight to light his path.

He continued without pause until dawn finally broke again, then he chose to rest underneath a bridge, having nothing else to use as shelter out here.

A day or two would pass just like this, crossing the vast expanse of fields, following the road and struggling to find whatever shelter he could when daybreak came again. Not once did he see another infected, or even another human being.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to get up at night; the emptiness had begun to consume him entirely. It would only be a matter of time before he gave up completely, and never moved again.

When his final night wandering in the wastelands came, he was unprepared for what he would find. Pausing at the top of the hill that led down into it, he stared with a mixture of awe and shock when he saw that, nestled in the middle of the ruin of a city, was a collection of houses and buildings that were alight from the inside.

Although he couldn't remember seeing anything like it before, the sight was unmistakable: There were survivors here, and a lot of them.

Just like that, the emptiness inside him was gone; replaced by a murderous determination…

((()))

Jake was not happy to find that the outside of the survivor's camp might as well have been the exterior of a fortress. There was a brick wall that stretched all around the border, at least fifty feet tall, complete with razor wire at the top and man-operated search lights. One of those he discovered too late, when he was nearly spotted before he could leap away into safety.

The perimeter was a wide one, but Jake started to scope it out anyway, taking note of where everything was positioned. At about his second round, he noticed an area hidden behind a tree and far enough away from any search lights that could possibly spot him. Of course, that still left the problem of the razor wire and the fifty foot leap straight up he'd have to somehow accomplish. Even if he climbed up the tree and leaped from there, he was sure he'd never get over that razor wire before he was disemboweled by it.

There was a long moment in which he simply sat there, thinking hard about how he was going to possibly get past this wall. He stared at the ground, at the edge of the border, and that's when an idea hit him. Getting over the wall was impossible, but getting _under_ it on the other hand…

He set to work digging, his strong dagger-like claws piercing through the hard dirt without too much difficulty. All night he would work, taking breaks only when his arms finally got tired. The dirt was so hard and packed that by the end of the night, he barely had a foot deep hole to show for all his effort. Luckily, he wasn't one to get easily disheartened. After hiding the hole underneath a pile of dead leaves, he left to find shelter inside an abandoned house, planning to return once night fell.

((()))

For the third day in a row, Jake awoke terrified beyond all reason and completely unsure as to where he was. Daylight was streaming into the windows of this house, and although he could see perfectly well to remember where he was, he was still panicked. He practically fell off the couch he was lying on before crawling quickly to its side and pressing himself between the wall and it.

It was here that he was finally able to calm down, though he could still hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He'd been losing sleep over this, and he hadn't a clue why it was happening; he couldn't even remember the dream it was that invoked such terror, he couldn't remember dreaming at all.

Once the fear subsided completely, he uncurled from the fetal position and slowly sat up.

Suddenly, he spun and drove his claws into the couch beside him, tearing it wide, hissing, enraged at his weakness. He left the house, still angry and ready to find something to eat before he set to work trying to break into the survivor's camp yet again.

He was in luck today it seemed, for right outside the house was a small pack of feral dogs; about four of them together. They didn't seem to be used to seeing infected; instead of running, they turned and started to growl at him. He returned the threat, before leaping at the first one, claws outstretched.

The dumbfounded dogs didn't have a chance to escape. Jake took two of them down without even trying, crippling the third, before he had to chase the fourth one and tackle it before it could get across the street. It was this one that he beat and tore to shreds with no consideration for the meat; the first three he already took down were more than enough food for him.

He got up and walked back toward the three dogs lying in the street, focusing his attention on the one that was trying in vain to crawl away on its forelegs; the only two limbs that weren't broken and torn. He jumped on the animal's back, grabbing hold of its ears before he began slamming its head down repeatedly against the pavement. He didn't stop until all movement ceased, and whether the dog was alive or not, he began ripping into the carcass and eating whatever he could.

By the time he was finished mutilating the corpses of his kills, night had completely fallen. He headed back to the border of the survivor's camp, to find the hole he'd started last night was undisturbed. Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, he began shoving the leaves he'd used to disguise the hole aside.

Again, the rest of the night would be spent digging that hole, and by daybreak, he'd found where the wall ended, about a foot and a half underground. Apparently the survivors hadn't counted on anything trying to get _underneath_ their little barricade. He continued digging well beneath the wall, actually starting to tunnel to the other side.

It was here that he stopped and backed out of the hole, before he stood up and vigorously started brushing himself off. Dirt absolutely covered him now, and he was sure he'd accidentally ingested a little more than a handful of it. It clogged his nose, causing him to sneeze almost incessantly as he turned and made his way back to find a shelter. He had barely any darkness left to hide in, so he had to stay low and move fast away from the encampment.

The next night and the one after that would both be spent the same way, digging nonstop, until his face and arms were so caked in the stuff his skin no longer looked so deathly pale. On the third night, though, he finally broke through to the other side.

Absolutely covered in dirt from head to toe, he pulled himself up and onto the cold, soft grass that resided here. He didn't allow himself any time to rest, as he headed to the first shadowed hiding spot he could find. Beside a house, there was a thicket of bushes and trees that mostly hid the entire yard from view. He climbed over the five foot wooden fence and dropped onto the other side, making not a sound as he crawled forth into the hidden space. It wasn't like the searchers were going to be looking inside the borders anyway, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Right before him now was a pool, a rather big, inflatable one. He stood up and approached it fast, seeing the large quantity of water inside. Immediately he went for it, using the water to clean off some of the filth from his arms and face especially. He was soaked and slightly cleaner by the time he was finished; at the very least, he could breathe again. Much like a dog, he shook himself off after that.

Putting his hood back up, he looked at the house beside him, seeing a couple lights on upstairs. A low growl rose inside his throat; there was someone in there, all right. Swiftly and stealthily, like a fox preparing to raid the chicken coop, he headed toward the place.

No one would be prepared for the amount of hell about to be unleashed, here, in one of the few places humanity thought it could take refuge.

* * *

A/N: Well. All I can say is, please don't kill me for killing off yet another character. Hah, it was necessary. The end it near, folks, very near. I will try to make it as detailed and, of course, satisfying as possible. ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER XIII**

Sharp, dagger-like claws ticked against the dull yellow clapboard as the Hunter peered into the first window he could find that was left wide open. Inside appeared to be a kitchen, and the window happened to be right above the sink. The place was clean and organized, with not a single dirty dish in the sink; so unlike the houses he was used to, back in his old territory.

Easily, he split the screen covering up the window with his claws, ripping it open even as he pulled himself up and inside. It was tricky, maneuvering over the sink without making too much noise. He ended up knocking a few knickknacks that were on the window's ledge down, where some of them shattered on impact when they hit the counter, but that wasn't nearly as bad as when his foot accidentally hit the plastic dish drainer on the side. Two plates fell off and exploded on the white tile below, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

When a few heartbeats passed and no one came to investigate, he resumed what he was doing, and leaped down quietly onto the floor. His claws ticked pleasantly against the tile as he walked on all fours, leaving a trail of dirty foot and handprints behind him. He headed for the staircase, curious about the strange, continuous sound coming from upstairs.

It was soon to be discovered as the sound of running water. He could smell it as he met the top of the stairs, steam mixed with some strange, sweet-smelling fragrance. It was unlike anything he'd smelled before; obviously artificial but not entirely unpleasant. It confused him, though, as he neared the door near the fore of the hall where it was coming from. He wasn't entirely sure if there was a person in there or not, the sounds and smells were so different than what he was used to.

This caused him to hesitate for a long moment outside the door, crouched down, and eventually pressing his ear against the door to listen closer. That's when he heard a voice in there, high pitched, lilting, very pleasing to his ears. It actually took him a moment to realize it was coming from a person.

Slowly, he reached his hand up, and took hold of the door knob. He turned it, first one way, then the other, until finally he felt it unlatch. With a gentle push, the door slid open silently.

He made neither a sound nor movement as he stared for a long time at the translucent shower curtain, just able to make out the shadow of something distinctly human moving behind it. He could feel the moisture in the air, hot and thick against his skin.

This situation was much different than anything he'd experienced with survivors before, and therefore, it took him a long moment to make a move. He really didn't want to get near that hot torrent of water, but he knew he was going to have to.

"Dustin, is that you?"

He looked up sharply at the sound of the survivor's voice; high pitched, obviously female if her lithe silhouette hadn't told him that much already. He stood up, claws twitching.

"…Dustin?"

Her voice had a hint of fear in it now. She knew something was wrong; he had to act now.

Lunging forward, he haphazardly shoved the curtain out of the way while at the same time grabbing for the woman behind it. She screamed as his claws met her naked, wet flesh, and tore it like hot knives through butter. The shower curtain was torn off the rod above, and Jake felt hot water landing on him as he nearly fell into the tub with his prey.

After much struggling, he managed to pull her slippery body out. Blood was everywhere already, smeared on the white porcelain and the curtain, and now on the hard tile floor as he dragged her away from the shower. She continued to scream until his hand closed around her throat, cutting off her air supply. She clawed at his wrist as he held her down, her feet kicking frantically, knocking into things and making them clatter noisily onto the floor.

Jake no longer cared about how much noise was being made, the adrenaline was flowing, and the smell of blood was intoxicating. He hissed deeply as he stared down into his prey's terrified eyes, pressing his hand against her chest to hold her down. Suddenly her back arched as she continued to pull at his arm with all her strength.

Jake gave a snarl, letting go of his prey's throat before he leaned down and bit her harshly on the shoulder. A strangled scream tore from her, and he covered her mouth with his hand to silence the sound. Her struggles were renewed as air returned to her lungs, and she began frantically hitting him wherever she could. The taste of her was delicious, better than anything he'd ever had before. A low moan rose in his throat, his claws beginning to stab into her cheek as his hand tensed over her mouth. Little beads of blood rolled down her pale face.

Pulling back violently, he tore a chunk from her shoulder, savoring the taste as she continued to squirm. He glared down at her for a moment, before finally taking his hand from her mouth and raking his claws down her chest in one sharp movement. Four long lines welled up with blood, trailing down between her breasts all the way to her stomach. He leaned down to lick it up, causing her to shudder violently and begin trying to shove him off again. Her strength was nothing compared to his, her weak little slaps and pushes did nothing at all to dissuade him.

It took him a moment to realize she was crying, her tears mixing with the blood smeared on her face. He began to growl deeply in pleasure at this, knowing that tears usually came just about the same time as complete submission. He lifted up a bit to look at her face, baring his teeth to reveal canines that had long since lengthened into proper fangs.

Suddenly, her body lurched and she began to fight _hard_. Jake was taken by surprise when she managed to budge him, and as he tried to brace himself the water and blood all over the floor failed to give him purchase. He fell sideways, his side hitting the wall with enough force to cause the painted drywall to crack. The short amount of time it took him to regain his bearings was enough for his prey to wriggle away, smearing blood in her wake as she tried to force her way out of the bathroom and into the hallway.

Jake gave a loud snarl, too out of breath and angry to even think of giving a proper Hunter's screech. He lunged forth, slashing her leg badly, before getting on top of her and gripping the back of her head, slamming it down hard against the junction between floor and wall. He snarled again, tasting his own hot blood as it began to drip down his chin. She'd hit him hard enough in the face earlier that it had actually split his lip.

He held her head down, pressing her face against the floor as hard as he could, until he heard something snap. Her struggles renewed, and he pressed himself down against her, tensing his legs on either side of her writhing body to restrain her. He watched as a pool of blood began to form beneath her head, getting rapidly larger until he actually heard her start to choke on it.

With a deep exhale, he leaned down, and slowly ran his nose up the exposed back of her neck. Her scent was exotic; so sweet, and clean, just like her taste. His mouth began to water again, his hunger rising so rapidly he couldn't control it anymore. He let go of her head about the same time his teeth met the side of her neck, her soft, yielding flesh rending under the force of his jaws.

She gave a choked cry of agony and began to fight again, thrashing and kicking. His claws pierced her skin as she writhed beneath him, his hold on her remaining firm. He didn't realize how deep his teeth were sinking, until he was suddenly being sprayed in the face with a hot torrent of blood. He pulled back with a hiss, blood dripping from his mouth as he stared down at his prey, watching the bright red liquid pour out of her neck in long, thin spurts.

A deep growl rumbled in his chest, as he suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to turn over onto her back. She could hardly move now, growing woozy from blood loss. She hardly protested when he plunged his claws into her abdomen, and began to tear her apart. The blood lust was upon him now, and he wasn't going to stop until there was nothing left for him to destroy.

What could have been only about fifteen minutes passed, and the aftermath of the scene was a truly gruesome mess. A trail of bloody footprints led into the now wide open room at the back of the hallway. They trailed all the way to the now smashed open window which looked out upon a huge, gnarled tree, and of course, the neighbor's house.

((()))

The sun had long since risen above the horizon, the dawn of a new day in one of the last surviving human cities. Today was different only in the fact that a palpable tension and fear had begun to consume the entirety of the town. News of over fifteen grisly murders just the night before had already spread, and although they tried to say it could have just been some mentally disturbed individual that had been the culprit, more people believed something else was going on.

It was not possible one person could have broken into all those houses and killed that many in one night. Rumors of a breach in the city walls were already being spread, and there was definitely more than one intruder.

Meanwhile, Jake had found a small metal storage shed to rest in. He was drenched in blood that for once didn't reek of infection or have bits of fur clotting it. Needless to say, he was more content than he had been in a very long time. He felt like the fox in the chicken coop, and he might as well have been.

He would only become active again well after the sunlight ceased pouring in from the door left ajar, climbing his way out of the boxes and large bags of dog food he'd hidden himself behind. He accidentally tore open the top bag in eight different places, spilling kibble everywhere before he finally managed to propel himself over it.

Nudging the door open, he cautiously looked around, making sure the coast was clear before he at last exited. Crawling quickly, he made it to the narrow space between houses, moving stealthily like a cat on the prowl.

He noticed that the city seemed quieter than it had last night, there was absolutely no one out on the streets that he could see or hear. He could smell them, though, the faint lingering traces of humanity that was only hours before bustling in the streets. They were hiding from him; they knew he was here, and they were afraid. The thought made him growl softly in amusement. It didn't matter if they hid, he would find them.

Turning to the nearest building, he leaped on its side and began to scale it using the long gutter running down from the roof. He decided to head further into the city, figuring the further he was from the borders the higher density the population would be.

He leaped effortlessly and silently to the next building, running to pick up speed and then leap again to the next, and then the next. He had just established a good speed, when something took him by surprise. Before he could leap off of this building, he heard a loud, definite growl that made him back up fast from the ledge. Baring his teeth in confusion and slight fear, he crouched low, but he did not make a sound in reply.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, his dark, inhuman eyes widening just a bit as he saw something crawl up and onto the roof with him. There, crouched not feet from him, was another Hunter. His breath stopped for a moment when he realized this was one of the people he'd attacked just the other night. Infected, one he had forgotten to kill. Now that he thought about it, there were a couple others who he'd only bitten or scratched, incapacitated, but not killed. He'd forgotten he could change them.

The new Hunter growled loudly at him, starting to approach, and he could see blood dripping from his mouth, perhaps blood from his own victim. He gave a sudden screech and flew at Jake with such speed, he almost couldn't dodge it. Jake's shoulder was nicked by sharp claws as he flinched away, and then did a short leap backward.

Finally, Jake began to snarl viciously. He was in no mood for this. He met the other's attack next time, and managed to pin the younger Hunter down, and begin clawing him mercilessly. He felt claws ripping into his arms, but he didn't care as he continued to punish the slightly smaller male. It wasn't long before the young Hunter was yelping and crying in pain and just trying to get away from the abuse. Jake let him go, and watched for only a moment as the new Hunter reluctantly made his escape down the side of the building.

Jake snorted, before continuing on his way. It felt good to finally be able to pick on someone else for a change, yes, but he was more in the mood to take down a record amount of survivors rather than fight. This had just been a waste of time, and more importantly, energy. He needed to go find something to eat, and fast.

Luckily, he had a whole feast surrounding him; all he had to do was make it inside their little fortresses, which was never a difficult feat. He stared at the lit up window just in front of him on the building across the one he was currently on, and licked his bloody lips.

* * *

A/N: Jake, you're such an irresponsible father... Uhm, anyway... long time no see, eh? Well, I'll try to make more regular updates from now on. I'm so close to the end, I'm not gonna stop now.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER XIV**

Jake was running on all fours as fast as he could, away from the blinding lights that were chasing him. His claws scraped the pavement as he fled, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had fresh blood covering his arms and chest, having just finished a kill inside that apartment building. Needless to say, the attack had been noisy, thus drawing attention. Now he had a fleet of vehicles with flashing red and blue lights on their tops chasing him, and had already gotten shot at at least five times.

They'd been chasing him for well over ten blocks, and he hadn't seen a good escape route until right about now. Skidding sideways, he bolted into an extra narrow passageway, tearing through the garbage that littered its floor. His pursuers sped past, and he began a fast climb up the side of one of the buildings, until he reached the top floor. It was here that he climbed into a wide open window, having to shove a small fan out of the way first.

He met a small double bed on the other side that he was not expecting to be there, and half toppled half jumped off of it, hitting the floor rather hard. The blanket was pulled off by his hind claws, and he kicked it away with a soft annoyed growl.

That's when he looked up and noticed the person sitting on the opposite side of the bed, now with his back pressed hard into the corner, his eyes wide as he stared in shock at what had just come in through his window.

There was a long moment of silence that followed as they both stared at each other. The survivor was the first to make a move, as he flew off the bed for the door. Jake knew he couldn't let this human escape; the others would be alerted, and his clean getaway would be foiled. He spun, his claws catching the young man by the legs, tripping him up before he could reach the door.

The survivor fell face first onto the carpeted floor, and it wasn't long before he let out a loud, frightened scream. Jake leaped on him, grabbing the guy's hair and yanking his head back, before he drew his claws over the survivor's exposed throat. Blood splashed over the carpet, and screaming turned to choked gurgles.

Letting go of the survivor's head, Jake heard it hit the floor as he looked quickly behind him at the open window, half expecting those angry survivors to come in at any moment and start shooting at him again. He stared for a long time, listening, waiting, but no danger came. He looked away with a sigh.

The survivor below him was still twitching with life, but Jake quickly changed that by taking the man's head in both hands, and twisting it sharply. Almost immediately a telltale popping sound was heard, and the body beneath him jerked and twitched as the severed nerves began to die.

Jake let the survivor fall limply to the floor, and watched the body continue to twitch and spasm. He'd only recently discovered this method of killing, and he'd found it out quite by accident. Landing on a survivor wrong the other night proved a quick and quiet kill, and it had become a fast favorite of his.

Not feeling quite safe enough to start roaming the streets again, he decided to hide out in here for the next couple of hours. It wasn't like he had a shortage of food or anything to hold him over. Climbing off of the dead survivor, he crawled over to sit in front of the entertainment stand and stare at the strange noise and picture producing box.

He'd seen television before, but of course, they were never on. Same with the vehicles, he had no clue what they were all used for before now. Anything he had from his previous life, memories, even the kind that would often come to him randomly in dreams, was now entirely gone. He had nothing to go off of when looking at these objects anymore. Still, he'd already gotten used to the odd way the rooms he entered with the survivors would almost always be filled with light.

Climbing up onto the bed, he laid down on it, crossing his arms in front of him so that he could rest his head on them and stare at the television, not quite comprehending it, but finding it interesting nonetheless. He'd been lying there for only about ten minutes, before he heard forceful knocking on the front door, across from this room down the hall.

He jerked and got up on all fours, surprised, and he felt his heart start to pound once again in fear. It was them, he knew it was them. They knew he was here. At the second series of knocks, he bolted for the open window, not caring about the long drop he was about to endure.

He flung himself out of the window and attempted to catch himself on the building opposite. He only half succeeded, before falling heavily into the layers of garbage carpeting the floor of the narrow alley. He composed himself quickly, and walked to the end of the alley to peek around the corners to see if there were any hostile vehicles or survivors around.

Suddenly, he heard a screech, a very definite Hunter cry. There were some men shouting, coming from the front of this apartment building, and then guns firing. Watching, he saw a Hunter, one he didn't recognize, running in the opposite direction down the street. He didn't know where that Infected had come from, but he didn't care. It was proving the distraction he needed; the survivors were going after it, not him.

Jake turned, and ran off in the other direction for the first safe place he could find. He'd had enough action for one night. These survivors were not proving as defenseless as he first thought they were; he should have figured they'd eventually start fighting back, and now he was trapped with them. How long before _none_ of them were defenseless?

Creeping into a dark basement, he hid in the farthest, blackest corner, and began his long wait.

((()))

It was early the next night, Jake had slept for hours with nothing better to do, and was awoken by the terrified screams of a woman outside. Curious, he crawled to the entrance he'd used to get into this basement, and carelessly shoved one of the two wooden doors open.

Peering out, he immediately spotted what was making the commotion. Across the alley and the parking lot, a survivor was being hauled haphazardly up the side of a building toward a window by what looked like an incredibly thick rope. Her screams had been cut off by said rope, for it was wrapped tightly around her head, covering her mouth.

Jake stared in bewilderment for the longest time, trying to shake the sleep from his brain. He had never seen anything like this before in all his travels, and already he was feeling dazed from having slept all through the past day and part of the night.

After a quick glance around, he crawled drowsily from his shelter and approached the odd sight. Eventually he was standing directly underneath the dangling, writhing woman, watching her slowly ascend. It was only when she was finally pulled through that window that he made a leap for the overhang to his left, which brought him close enough to climb into the window.

Having had one too many bad experiences, he went very carefully with this one, peeking inside the window as best he could from his position, which was a little too low. He saw dark silhouettes, both of normal human size, and in the darkness it almost looked like they were engaged in some grotesque dance.

Was that another Infected in there?

Finally, he hauled himself up into the window, perching on its ledge and thus making himself fully visible. Suddenly, the strange Infected shoved its catch down onto the floor and began tearing at her. Her mouth was obviously freed, because her screams were no longer curbed.

What disturbed Jake the most about this scene was the sounds the attacker was making; odd and frantic wheezing, choking sounds as if it couldn't quite breathe.

"Over here!" A sudden voice shouted from outside, causing the Hunter to freeze.

Jake was torn between what to do, run inside and risk getting attacked, or jump back outside to find shelter elsewhere. The warehouse he was previously perched on looked like a good choice, and he turned and swiftly leaped back onto the overhang.

He saw the light of a flashlight, pouring out from behind the building he was just in as someone ran down the narrow part of the alley. He turned to the window to the warehouse he was on, not thinking twice before he crashed shoulder-first through it.

He had to drop a good twenty feet, completing it with a roll, tumbling across the dusty concrete floor. He looked up at the broken window, before getting up to run on all fours away from it, toward the back of the big empty warehouse he'd just broken into. He'd seen the doors on the outside were chain locked, so he knew no one was going to get in here unless they went through the way he'd just come.

Disappearing behind a wall, he was hidden in complete darkness. He noticed a small rectangular opening in the outer wall of the warehouse, just big enough to fit through. He crawled silently toward it, recoiling when he noticed someone was standing just outside. Very carefully, he shifted closer again and peered out at them, noticing that there was something a bit … off about the survivor. Something about the way they just stood there, staring, eyes strangely soulless.

It took him only a second to realize this was a common Infected, something he hadn't seen in quite a while. Determining it wasn't a threat, he slipped out of the warehouse. The common only gave him a confused stare as he passed by, but nothing more.

He paused when he saw dead bodies lying about near the end of the alley, five common and two survivors, blood was splashed about everywhere. A soft 'thud' sounded behind him, followed by the sound of shifting gravel. He spun around to face whatever had just landed, even before he heard the low growls issuing from its throat. A familiar Hunter, the one he'd fought with just the other night.

Jake really didn't have the energy to fight right now, but even so, he wasn't about to run. With a sharp snarl, he took a step forward, crouching low as if ready to spring forth and take the young one down. The new Hunter didn't waste time in pushing off the ground with a powerful kick of his back legs, which sent him forward to collide with Jake before he could react. They tumbled over the already blood-covered ground, and the sound of their roars as well as their clothes tearing was loud in the still, silent night.

They separated after only a few seconds, but already the young Hunter was looking badly torn. His shirt was entirely ripped off leaving him topless, and both his pant legs were badly shredded. Without anything to cover it, Jake could clearly see the long claw marks all over the other Hunter's well toned back and chest from him.

He was almost taken off guard when the young Hunter leaped in for another attack. Jake was just in time to flip over on his back and ready both his hind and fore claws for the defense. The smaller Hunter landed on him, but was immediately flung off by a well timed kick. Jake got up and jumped on him while he was down, and attempted to shred his completely vulnerable torso.

His attacks were fended off with surprising effectiveness, and Jake was soon forced to leap back if he was going to avoid getting torn open himself.

It was at that exact moment that a gunshot was fired, the bullet hitting the pavement right where Jake would have been if he hadn't jumped away. Both Hunters redirected their attention to stare at the two survivors standing right there in the alley, not two yards away. Jake didn't even think before he flung himself at the survivor with the gun. Another shot was fired but it missed, and he had the man on the ground before his partner even knew what happened. Jake didn't see, but he heard the young Hunter leap forth and take the remaining survivor. He was glad that the young one at least had the sense to attack the real threat in this situation, and not keep his attention focused on him.

The first thing Jake did was go for the throat. His teeth met flesh, and as he tore back, the fresh splash of hot blood in his face was signal that he'd just torn the carotid artery. He jumped away only after knocking away the survivor's weapon, far enough that it wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Rather than watch his victim flail around and bleed, he turned his attention to the other Hunter here. The younger male was still ripping away at the man, and judging by the way the survivor was jerking and gurgling, he was still very much alive. Jake watched as the other Hunter shredded and flung internal organs as well as meat and blood, mesmerized by the sheer brutality and carnage.

It was then that Jake noticed something, another survivor, standing a short ways off with a pistol aimed right for the younger Infected. There was sheer terror in her eyes, she was frozen by the shock of what was happening, which explained why she hadn't fired yet. Jake sprang for her, and finally, a shot was fired. Jake heard a yelp of pain that was not his own, and he landed on her and snapped her neck in the next instant.

Turning, Jake saw the young Infected had backed off of his kill, holding one arm off the ground as he stared in surprise at both Jake and the woman he'd just killed. Jake didn't know if the other Hunter realized what he'd done was just save his life, but he guessed by the way the other Infected was looking at him now that he had an idea. The older male noticed the gash on the other Hunter's arm, seeing that the bullet had only grazed him, nothing more.

A moment of understanding happened as their eyes met, and for a few seconds, neither of them moved. Jake was the first to break the moment, and turn to begin digging into the carcass of the woman he'd just killed. He was quite starving after not eating for at least a day and a half straight.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed that one, people. Think I'm gonna draw this out a bit longer than I at first thought, getting a lot of ideas. Either way, I'd like to hear your thoughts, of course, on how you think things are going so far.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER XV**

Barely a day and a half progressed, and Jake was woken up by the cacophony of sound coming from outside of the small basement he'd taken shelter in. People shouting and the sounds of car horns blaring were only a couple things that he could pick out. He crawled out of his nest of boxes and moved to exit out of a small ground level window.

He scurried out of the alley and across the street, moving quickly after determining it was safe. He decided to climb up a building to get to a higher ground before he investigated, and hopped the rest of the way over. The main source was all on one street, a long line of vehicles, all with their lights on, and all with survivors in them. He saw Infected, too, a small mob of commons trying to break into a car to get to the people inside.

Jake watched as the car first backed up, colliding into the vehicle behind it, and then sped forward, barely nicking the car in front as it turned and sped down another street. Soon, two survivors got out of their cars, one armed with a shotgun and the other a pistol. Together they took down the mob, but not before the guy with the pistol was bitten.

Jake abandoned the scene to head forward, to the place all the vehicles were pointing to. He quickly found the border of the city, and the road that led out of it was where all the survivors were trying to get to. There were people standing near the locked gates, and they were yelling, angry. He couldn't understand what the commotion was about, but still, he watched with interest. Were they trying to get out? Already trying to flee the city?

His thoughts wandered as he stared at those people, suddenly wishing he could just leap down there and wreak havoc, but he knew that would mean certain death. They would kill him before he even tasted a drop of blood. Turning, he decided to search for any stragglers, survivors who weren't part of that group he was just observing.

He vaulted from the building, easily clearing the entire street below to land on the shorter building across. He traveled this way over three blocks, and that's when he came across that very same car that had taken off from the main group. Its windshield and windows were smashed, and there were blood smears all over its white surface. There were bits of what was left of those survivors scattered all over the street, and commons were spread out near the area chewing on bits of flesh or fighting over scraps.

Hearing a sudden very loud screech, he turned sharply just in time to watch an unfamiliar Hunter slam into a common and begin ripping at its head and neck with its claws. Once the common Infected no longer posed a threat, the Hunter grabbed the arm that the common had been chewing on and made off with it into a more secluded space.

Jake could smell the blood, and it was making his mouth water. He began to look over the commons down there, trying to locate a scrap that might have been worth fighting for. For a long time he spotted nothing, all the other bones had or were currently being picked clean, nothing that would provide more energy than it would take to obtain.

That's when he heard a distressed scream of a survivor from somewhere ahead. A few of the commons below lifted their heads curiously, but none made for the noise like Jake did. He flung himself from the rooftop to the next, and then the next, almost not stopping quickly enough by the time he spotted where the commotion was coming from. He halted right at the edge, claws scraping loudly against the rooftop.

It took him a moment to realize that directly across him on the next building was another one of those mysterious Infected he never really got the chance to become acquainted with yet. It was reeling in a rather small survivor up the side of the building, and by the way the prey was wrapped, it could no longer scream.

A low growl rose in his throat as he watched the other Infected pull its prey up far more quickly than the other one had. Now that he was able to see it more clearly, Jake felt a lot less intimidated, and that survivor looked a little too good to just pass up. Maybe if he could grab the survivor before the other Infected pulled it up all the way, he could get away without a fight.

Leaping forth, he hit the ensnared survivor and dug his claws in deep. There was a short jerking sensation, and then, he was falling with his prey. They hit the sidewalk in a way that could have gone better. The impact sent a sharp spike of agony through Jake's shoulder with the impact and knocked the breath from him.

Recovering quickly, he pinned down the choking survivor, noticing that the tentacle the other Infected used was still wrapped around it tightly, having been torn off he guessed by the added weight. He grabbed the small survivor's head and twisted, snapping its neck, before he turned his gaze up to the top of the building. He saw the silhouette of the other Infected staring down at him, and for a long moment it did not move. Feeling uncomfortable, Jake dragged his stolen prey off into the nearest alcove and began tearing into it to eat whatever he could as quickly as possible.

After he was finished, he cautiously exited, making sure the strange Infected wasn't around anymore before he proceeded to scale the closest building and continue on his way. As he traversed through the city he heard gunshots and screams of both Infected and survivor all around, issuing at random and sometimes nearby. He would come to watch their struggles, but never would he join. It seemed an unnecessary risk to him.

That would change, however, when he found a familiar Infected facing off against three survivors. It was the Hunter Jake had fought, and then formed the beginnings of an alliance with just the day before. He watched as the younger Hunter leaped upon one of the survivors, the only one with a gun, before he was knocked violently in the shoulder by a crowbar one of the survivor's friends was holding and sent toppling sideways.

Jake didn't know why he felt such a strong protectiveness over the young one already, but seeing the violence against him compelled him to fly from the rooftop, and collide with the survivor that had dealt the blow on his friend. It was a fatal strike, the smaller man's bones snapping in several places when he hit the pavement.

He then spun to face the last standing survivor, only to watch her run off as fast as she could in the opposite direction. The way things were going, she wouldn't last long anyway out there on her own; he didn't bother to give chase. He looked to see the first downed survivor was still on the ground, dead with his throat torn. Apparently his friend hadn't been quick enough to save him after all.

When Jake finally spotted the younger Hunter, he saw he was limping away now on all fours, off into a dark and secluded alley. He seemed dazed, and behind him was a thin trail of blood to follow. Jake crawled after him slowly, growling softly just to make sure the younger Infected knew he was there. Like a wounded animal, Jake knew the other Hunter wouldn't take kindly to a surprise right now.

After a moment, the other Hunter spun around with a snarl, causing Jake to stop abruptly in his tracks. A second later, and the younger Infected was backing up, growling a strange sound, before he fell to the ground with his head in his hands and trembling as if in pain. Jake slowly began to approach, confused, and it wasn't long before the other Hunter sprang up and swung his claws at Jake's head. The sharp tips just barely missed taking out his eye, and he leaped back with a shocked high-pitched yelp.

Realization came when he saw that crazed look; he had to run, or he'd be killed. He turned and leaped for the nearest building to begin what was to be a lengthy flight. Leaping over buildings and running through streets, until they came to a small group of survivors. Jake heard from atop the building he'd just hastily scaled the screams of agony and terror; his pursuer had taken a detour.

Panting harshly, he was about to leap to the next building to get away for good, when suddenly something stopped him. Pinning his arms to his sides, a long, thick, rope-like thing had ensnared him, tripping him up and sending him face-first into the rooftop. It slithered around his leg, the tip finding its way to his throat to encircle it and cut off his airway. Even while all this was happening, he was being dragged off to the side, ever closer to the edge of the building.

Harshly he struggled, kicking and trying his damndest to free his arms. Even just one set of claws would be enough to rip this infernal thing from him. He looked around frantically to spot the Infected he knew this trap belonged to, only to see the Hunter he'd been trying to escape pull himself up onto the rooftop with him. His heart sank when he realized he wasn't being pulled anymore, and the younger Infected was staring right at him, snarling as he advanced. He couldn't defend himself, nor could he run.

The younger Hunter leaped at him, and Jake angled himself so that no vital areas would be slashed. He struggled underneath the other Hunter, feeling those claws raking open old wounds, and it wasn't long before the tongue holding him was shredded off as well. Jake kicked and shoved the other Infected off of himself, only to find the edge of the building was a lot closer than he had at first thought. He slipped off the side and landed heavily upon a parked car below.

The force of his fall shattered the passenger windows and left him dazed and unable to move. The scream of the car alarm was a dull roar in his ears, and slowly, senseless darkness enveloped him and he could no longer feel anything at all.

((()))

There was no telling how long he'd been unconscious; Jake only knew the sounds of screaming and gunshots all around, not to mention pain, when he came to. His right eye refused to open, and he could feel the hot stickiness of blood all around it, dripping down his face. He turned his head to gaze out at the street with his one good eye, seeing four survivors making their way through a horde, each with a gun. They weren't paying attention to him; perhaps they believed he was already dead.

As he watched, he was surprised to find those survivors lasting so long, making good progress as they passed by rather quickly. Only when they were gone, did he attempt to move. His wounds protested as he turned over and forced himself up slowly. Surprisingly, though, he wasn't as badly hurt as he at first expected, except for his eye of course. A dull ache in his head told of the damage done, he wasn't going to be able to see through that eye again.

From here he tried to spot a good place to hide, considering daybreak was well on its way and he needed somewhere to recuperate. He spotted an open, dark window to a small warehouse, and went for it a bit slower than usual, limping slightly across the street. Like usual, the commons all over the street paid him absolutely no mind at all.

He crawled painfully through the window, and headed to the very back to hide behind some boxes and shelves. Shivering softly, he curled up to sleep.

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A/N: Just can't catch a break when in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, can you? Not even when you are a zombie. Again, apologies for the long wait.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER XVI**

Thick, heavy smoke filled the air, burning the Hunter's lungs and forcing the sleep out of him. He woke up coughing, and unable to see out his remaining eye enough to figure out what was happening. In a bit of a panic, it was understandable that he would get up and leap for the nearest exit, the window he'd climbed in from, even if it was currently obscured and glowing a very odd bright orange.

He flew through it, a moment of intense heat and then the cold night air hitting him like a bucket of ice water. The moment he touched the pavement, he leaped for the building across, ignoring the smoke and glow coming from it as well. He hit the side of the building, feeling heat and nearly getting suffocated by more smoke as he propelled himself up and onto the rooftop. The tar felt soft and hot beneath his feet and hands, and he leaped from it immediately, nearly missing the next building which was also on fire. He kept fleeing until he finally found a platform that wasn't shrouded in smoke and heat.

Here it felt cool and safe, no enemies around to attack and no strange brightly glowing heat to get him. From here he got his bearings again, feeling pain but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He looked around frantically to make sure he was really safe, his paranoia having gone through the roof due to his new and rather massive blind spot.

He'd learned one very important thing in the days that had thus far passed in this camp, and that was he hadn't a friend in the world.

It had been four days since he lost his eye, and his wounds were healing nicely despite everything. He'd been doing well to avoid conflict, staying hidden mostly and continuously stealing whatever he could to eat. Being half blind and with the survivors more capable of defending themselves than ever, actual hunting was made much more dangerous, otherwise he probably would have left the other Infected alone from now on.

He was reduced to skulking with the commons; whenever he heard a commotion in the streets he would run for it to steal whatever unfortunate soul they happened to have caught. He was much more powerful and experienced than any of them, and always he made off with a good portion of what they had even if it involved him having to severely maim one or two of the lesser zombies to get it.

This was the first time he'd encountered anything like what was happening now all around him. Red smoke filled the sky and the air he breathed, even here he could feel it choking him, making him cough though he resisted the urge; any noise could give away his position to an enemy and he'd be in trouble. The only thing he could do was continue on in what he hoped was the right direction, away from the smoke and the light.

It didn't take long before he was seeing other Infected, crawling over rooftops and running in the streets, panicking, unsure where they were going. He saw other Hunters, leaping across buildings, he heard screaming and gunshots somewhere out there, only now it seemed only the Infected were crying out in agony as well as rage.

Jake headed for the sounds, if only to locate the survivors to pinpoint his greatest threat. He headed forward, vaulting and running until he was momentarily stopped when another Hunter landed before him. He came to a screeching halt, and immediately stood up to appear larger, extending his claws, but before he could even growl the other Hunter backed off and fled as quickly as it had come. Jake tilted his head, confused at the lack of a fight as he watched the other Infected bounce away.

Shrugging it off, he got back down to continue on his way.

Soon it seemed that all the other Infected were heading in the same direction he was, and he stopped reacting after the third Hunter leaped past him. There was no denying he was going in the right direction, and he only stopped when he saw across from him an Infected reeling in a survivor. It took him a moment to realize it even _was_ a survivor, considering it was wearing a heavy hazmat suit that was covered in various, viscous substances.

There were so many Hunters around that they resembled fleas, and Jake witnessed two leap down into the street, their departure quickly followed by the sound of gunshots and screeches of pain. He peered down carefully over the side of the building, and was dumbfounded by what he saw.

Rows of survivors filled the street in surprisingly neat profile, all wearing those odd suits, and the ones in front had guns that spat long plumes of fire, which they used to hose down everything in their path. Jake noticed the building he was currently standing on was now beginning to smoke as the flames climbed hungrily up inside it. He hissed softly and backed up, only now noticing the fellow Infected that had come up beside him.

It was the first time he'd ever seen one of them up close, the Special Infected that came with a tentacle hanging from its badly deformed face. Said tentacle was curling around in anticipation as the Infected stared down at the survivors below, and only seconds later it was sending its snare flying at whatever one caught its eye.

Two seconds of screaming as some unlucky human was caught, and soon the Infected was hit through the head five times by bullets, its tongue was severed, and a massive plume of acrid smoke suddenly exploded from its body. Jake let out a startled screech and stumbled backward, before leaping to the nearest building that was currently not on fire. He'd never seen anything quite like that before, but he really didn't have time to get over the shock.

Shaking it off, he moved to peek over the edge of the building again to get a better look at the survivors. One of them caught his eye, one near the front that wasn't wearing a bulky hazmat suit. He hadn't noticed that one before; all he was wearing was a gas mask that covered his nose and mouth, and he seemed to be giving orders to the rest of the group. He was armed, though, with a very big, very intimidating gun. Jake watched as he turned just in time to shoot a Hunter before it could pounce on him, his reflexes were pretty remarkable for a survivor.

Jake knew he was going to have to take down that man if he was to stop this brigade of destruction, but as it was, he saw no possible way to approach without being spotted and gunned down on the spot. He stared for a moment too long, though, and soon the leader survivor was looking right up at him. Their gazes met, and Jake felt a moment of panic as the man aimed his gun right at him.

The Hunter retreated before the shot could hit home, and he leaped off onto the next building, not caring that three other Hunters currently resided there. All of them looked over at him, and he growled dangerously, backing away from them. One of them tilted its head in confusion, the other two just stared, equally bewildered by this reaction.

Jake remembered his lesson, and after a moment of backing up without turning his back to them, he turned to leap down into the street and climb up onto the buildings that the survivors and their fire hadn't yet reached. He had to find something to eat before he could start stalking those survivors to find the opportunity he was looking for, even if his next meal had to be another Infected or scraps not fit to feed a mangy dog let alone something like him. Those three Hunters he left behind moved to watch him, only for a moment, before they turned to focus their attention back to the survivors.

After only a few minutes of searching, Jake managed to find a group of common Infected who were currently attempting to rip apart a still-living dog while it fought them off valiantly. The Hunter flew from his perch and landed with surprising precision upon the animal, proceeding to rip open its throat and its stomach as it rolled and tried to bite and kick him. With his prey neutralized, he turned to the group of commons and roared at them, swiping at them to force them to back off, which they begrudgingly did.

He tore into the animal and ate as quickly as he could, all the while having to occasionally lash out at the few commons that got a little too bold. Finally, he left the scraps for them to fight over, and headed toward the place where smoke was just beginning to lift into the already obscured sky.

An hour or two would pass with him just stalking those survivors, watching, waiting, and it wasn't long before he realized something rather unfortunate for him: He was going to need more Infected to back him up if he was going to launch an attack that would make any impact.

As it was, there were numerous Infected around, more than enough to take down these guys but only if they band together. Here they were just jumping down in disorganized groups of two or three, easily taken out before they could even get a good scratch in.

Slowly, he looked around at all the Infected stalking around on the buildings with him. He frowned, gritting his teeth. Getting them to come together in an army wasn't going to be easy, especially since he'd acquired a recent and very powerful hatred for all of them. With a soft growl, he headed toward the first group, and tried his best not to look as edgy as he felt.

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A/N: The end ... may be the next chapter... Reviews appreciated, I'm hoping people are still reading this.


	17. Chapter 17: The End

**CHAPTER XVII**

Besides the sound of the flames blazing all around, the night was deathly calm. Not a single Infected, besides the occasional common, were to be seen. The group of survivors continued their mission in torching the place, the fires still raged. Tensions were high among their ranks, the Special Infected shouldn't have been so inactive, there was no way they had vacated the area, for the military had locked down the borders and snipers were at every corner.

They could all feel eyes on them; it was enough to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. The leader of the group commanded them to keep heading straight; the only sign that even he could feel the tension in the air, like the string on an instrument pulled too taut, was that he kept compulsively glancing up at the rooftops.

Hours had passed and they were nearly a third of the way through setting the entire city ablaze, the smoke in the air was so thick it was difficult to see through, like a heavy fog that hung over everything. To keep morale up, the leader of the group of survivors theorized that all the other Infected had suffocated, and thus their job was going to be much easier from now on.

Suddenly, a single, dark shadow leaped from a building and landed before them, its features concealed behind the smoke. The leader survivor aimed his gun, and fired immediately. The shadowy form, however, was already gone, leaping up to climb quickly to the top of the next building. The group of survivors slowed, as most of them turned their gazes up to look for that mysterious thing that had gotten away.

A sudden chorus of loud, inhuman screams filled the air, and a few of the survivors turned just in time to be taken down, their hazmat suits torn into with ease by the claws of the Infected upon them. Those with guns turned and began shooting, panic already starting to spread through their ranks.

A Hunter was shot five times, but the survivor he'd tackled was already fatally torn. Five more Hunters leaped from the obscurity of the smoke, one shot in mid-air while one caught one of the flamethrower wielding survivors by the shoulder, claws ripping through, and the other landed directly on him.

One of the remaining three tried to go for the leader of the group, but this particular survivor was too quick. He dodged, the claws of the Infected raking his arm just before he was able to turn and shoot the Hunter in the head. He turned just in time to watch one of his comrades get dragged off by a Smoker, and then leaped on by three Hunters. He turned his gun on them, but again by the time he managed to get the Infected away from their victim, it was too late.

He watched as more of his group was taken down, and he was snared by a Smoker before he could help any of them. He was pulled backward so fast he lost his balance and dropped his gun. Before he could get his bearings he grabbed for his hunting knife that was sheathed at his side, and sliced the offending tentacle in half. He fell backward onto the street, only to be jumped on by a Hunter. With only his knife to work with, he thrust it into the Infected's stomach, and sliced upward violently.

With one strong shove, he pushed the dying Hunter off of himself and went to retrieve his gun. He ignored the carnage all around him, until his hand landed upon his weapon. He looked up, just in time to see yet another Hunter staring back at him. He quickly picked up his gun, and aimed just as the Infected leaped at him, firing a good six times.

Far above a lone Hunter sat upon one of the few buildings not yet ablaze, though behind him fires raged high into the night sky. Jake watched what he'd started; he'd managed to round up a lot more Hunters than he expected for a synchronized attack, but even now with so many survivors taken down he could see that the Infected were slowly being bested, for now. Soon the commotion would draw in more, though, and Jake had seen plenty new, and very dangerous looking Infected around these parts. They had been drawn toward this area, the only part of the city that wasn't engulfed in flames, and they would come.

As if on cue, a loud, enraged roar sounded from down the street, a sound that far exceeded the cries of the Hunters and Commons. An abandoned vehicle would be the first sign of the Infected, as it soared through the air and landed among the ranks of survivors and Hunters. A truly massive beast came then, barreling down the street, and it paid little mind to who it attacked.

Hunters had to leap out of its wake, but the survivors weren't so fast. They fired at the monsterous Infected, but their bullets did little to hinder it. One daring survivor aimed his flamethrower at the Infected, and Jake watched with morbid fascination as the Infected was set ablaze, a towering inferno, but even that did not stop it.

The Infected took a man down, slamming him to the pavement beneath its fist, crushing him. It would be almost a minute before the Infected finally fell upon the street in a smoldering heap, and by then the survivors had suffered great casualties just from that attack. Many Hunters and other Infected had taken the chance to attack, and only now were the survivors trying desperately to save their ranks from those opportunists.

Jake growled with excitement, scanning the remaining survivors, and he was only mildly surprised when he saw the leader survivor was still very much alive, and he was climbing up a building via a fire escape. Perhaps he was trying to get a better vantage point to defend his brethren, or perhaps he was just trying to flee. Either way, the Hunter saw his opportunity now.

He took a step back, and then, propelled himself forward. He landed upon the building at the same time the survivor pulled himself onto the roof. The survivor paused, their gazes met, and Jake bared his fangs in a snarl just before he lunged.

The leader survivor aimed his gun, and was able to fire four times before Jake collided with him and they both went toppling off the side of the building into the alley below. They hit the pavement hard, Jake heard and felt something snap upon impact, but he was quick to realize the sound came from the survivor beneath him. The man's ribs and shoulder had cracked under the pressure, his bones far more fragile than the Hunter's. He cried out in agony, the sound quickly cut off when Jake sank his teeth into the man's fragile throat.

Somewhere in the street an earth shaking roar sounded; another monstrous Infected was here. Jake was unable to see it this time, his eyes closed as he savored the taste of the human flesh and blood, a flavor he had already begun to miss. Violently, he tore upward, and blood squirted out from the torn carotid artery to rapidly pool upon the warm pavement.

He had no time to eat now, as appetizing as this survivor looked, there was a war raging too close for him to relax just yet. With a growl, he crawled off of his fallen foe and looked up at the fire escape. He leaped forth, and a sudden agonizing pain tore through his nerves, causing him to miss his hold. His claws scraped the metal and he cried out sharply as he fell back down, landing hard enough to cause another spike of agony to shoot through his nervous system.

Panting, he rolled onto his back to run both his hands gingerly over his torso. He hissed with alarm and pain when he felt the hot blood around his left side; one of the bullets had hit home, and he hadn't even noticed until now. There was another deep burning cut on his shoulder where a bullet had grazed him, but that was much less a concern.

Painfully, he got back up, and turned his gaze in the direction he knew the fight was happening. He heard the death cry of the huge Infected, and the screams of other Hunters as they lunged. Should he join the fight and risk death, or flee? Logic told him to flee, but that thought quickly left his mind the moment he saw what was blocking his path out.

It was an Infected, he guessed, but it was unlike anything he'd seen before. From far off he could see its silhouette, how grossly obese this person must have been before they were infected. Jake watched with growing concern as the thing hobbled closer, and he could clearly hear the gurgling, sick noises it was making even over the sound of battle all around.

The moment it got too close, Jake turned tail and ran, right into the fight. He nearly got run into by a survivor who was backing up about five feet from the alley, and before the guy could realize his mistake, Jake had screamed and began viciously slashing at the man with his claws.

The survivor tried to get away, but the one-eyed Hunter knocked him to the ground. Before Jake could even think to continue his attack, he heard gunshots, and felt pain erupt in his leg. He managed to propel himself away and into the next alley, and he heard a loud explosion somewhere behind him followed by something splattering over the street.

He turned to look, seeing a strange green slime smeared all over the entrance to the alley he'd just left, and the strange fat Infected was gone. He turned his gaze forward once more, and what he saw gave him pause. There, before him was a Hunter, but it wasn't any Hunter, it was the one he'd lost his eye to.

Quickly, Jake moved to press himself against the wall, but because of his injury he ended up stumbling and half-running into the rough brick. Now with something covering his flank, he growled, baring his sharp teeth. The other Hunter did not return the display, he only approached, slowly, and Jake was utterly bewildered by his lack of aggression.

Jake calmed down slowly as the other Hunter came up beside him, looking at him before he took off out into the street. There was a screech, and Jake whipped around to watch. The Hunter was on a survivor, and Jake watched as he tore out the man's intestines. Another survivor was aiming his gun at the attacker, but Jake felt his fight instinct kick in and he propelled himself out there as well.

He landed on the survivor before he could fire, and violently used his claws to tear off the man's helmet. He then grabbed the survivor's head and with a hard twist, snapped his neck. Jake looked up, and saw as five Hunters leaped off of the buildings all around as if in perfect synchrony; for a moment it was perfect, almost beautiful, before the gunshots rang and one was taken out before it could even hit its target.

Jake watched as the Hunter he'd once again saved leaped for his next victim, and for the first time, saw just how the streets were absolutely littered with bodies. He coughed, the smoke in the air so thick it was difficult to breathe or see, what little breeze that had been keeping the air relatively breathable had apparently gone.

Despite that and despite the pain, Jake felt he didn't want to run anymore. He saw the fighting and the blood was thick all around; he lived for this, for the fight and for the kill. He couldn't bring himself to run, despite the horrible danger he knew he was in. Maybe he'd just stopped caring.

He lunged as well, and took down yet another survivor. He felt pain as bullets tore through him, but he only lived to take down the one shooting at him as well. The chorus of screams and enraged cries were the only encouragement he needed, and he would withstand more bullets than any Hunter ever had. He could not feel the pain, but he could feel the weakness, the encroaching heaviness filling his body as the fighting drew on. His mouth was continuously filling with blood, but it was easily enough spit out to join with the other pools and smears of blood already covering the streets.

He leaped at yet another victim, and was shot through the chest, not realizing himself just how much slower he was moving until then. His claws scored through the survivor's hazmat suit, ripping through the protective helmet, just before the Hunter lost his footing and fell to the street below.

Lying on his back, Jake hardly noticed when the survivor he'd attacked dropped his weapon and stumbled off, clawing at his own face and body as he began to turn. Unable to breathe without drowning in his own blood now, Jake felt his consciousness rapidly slipping away as he stared up at the blood red sky. Slowly, everything started to fade away, the screams and the pain, until nothing was left.

_Jake stared up at the beautiful blue sky, seeing five starlings take flight from the half-dead tree across the street. He couldn't believe an infection had begun somewhere nearby, the world seemed just as safe and boring as it always had. _

_He was broken from his thoughts when he felt someone nudge his shoulder sharply. He looked and immediately discovered it was Chris._

"_You excited for the road trip?" he asked cheerfully._

_Jake shrugged a bit._

"_Come on, it's gonna be real fun, I promise," The other kid continued._

"_Chris, leave him alone," Came a female voice, and Jake saw it was Laura._

_She was leaving the house with a bundled up blanket in her arms, going to put that in the car with the rest of the stuff they were bringing, he supposed. Chris heeded her words, turning to walk after her instead._

"_What? I was just trying to make conversation," He said._

_Jake looked away back to the sky, and back to his daydreams._

_The vision changed and he was back inside the house. They were all sitting around in the living room, drinking and partying for their last night here in this town. Although Jake didn't drink, it was still one of the best nights of his life; he couldn't remember feeling that good._

_The radio was playing loudly so that the six friends had to practically yell to talk to each other, but no one seemed to mind. All the neighbors had already evacuated, they didn't need to be quiet tonight. Jake vividly remembered leaning against Laura, he remembered her scent, so vastly different from the blood and the decay that had filled his life for so long now._

"_You sure you don't want a beer or something?" asked Chris as he walked by the couch in the process of getting one for himself._

Jake couldn't speak anymore, and the vision would fade before he would even get to answer.

The light faded from his single, remaining eye.

((()))

The morning would come, the sun rising to shine its rays upon the city left smoldering from the night before. Its warm rays would come to touch the dead bodies of both Infected and survivor, shining light upon the carnage where only a few Commons stood, milling about, staring, as if confused.

They would soon be gunned down by the helicopter that had flown in with the sunrise, along with any other person still standing; there were no survivors left. Yet another 'safety zone' turned disastrous, many had come before it, and many would come after. With only four safe spots left along with the base, one could only speculate as to how long it would be before they too, were corrupted.

* * *

A/N: ... Nothing more to say except, 'the end'. Hope you enjoyed the story. See ya next time.


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